OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR GRANT UDINSKI
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
THURSDAY, AUGUST 14, 2025
(On what the offense was able to accomplish in the scrimmage) “It’s good work. Good to
get the work and a lot to improve. I think the guys know that. We know that. So, I’m excited
to dig into the tape and see what we can work on.”
(On how concerning the drops and interceptions in the scrimmage are) “One piece of many
things that we’re working on trying to improve, whether it’s fundamentals, communication,
just simple execution of plays here and there, alignment, assignment. All of those details
are important. So we’re trying to improve everything, not just a drop here or there.”
(On if the various offensive line combinations) “I don’t know that I would frame it
necessarily as piecemealing. I think one of the questions you guys asked last week was
about the flexibility of the offensive line. I’d probably still look at it like that. We have had
some injuries, guys go in and out, even temporary injuries where guys miss a drive, and
those have been opportunities for other guys to step up and play different positions. So,
you probably see out there today, we have multiple guys play on different sides, play guard,
play tackle, inside, outside, different centers. So, it’s great that those guys have the ability
to do that, and we have the chance to get that type of work.”
(On if the goal is to have a solidified starting five on the offensive line) “Absolutely. I think
so. I think at the same time, you recognize that over the course of the year, it’s very rare
nowadays for the five same starters to play every single play for an entire season. So this
work to get guys working with each other that might not always work together on week one
or week two is invaluable to have right now.”
(On his evaluation of RB Bhayshul Tuten) “I think the growth has been encouraging and a
testament to his work, Coach Morton’s [Running Backs Coach Chad Morton] work with him
and really all the running backs. Their ability to improve whether it’s in the run game as
runners, in the pass protection game, or as pass catchers, the entire room, all those guys
have really embraced all facets of that position and what we’re asking them to do. So
between him, TJ [RB Travis Etienne Jr.], Tank [RB Tank Bigsby], LeQuint [RB LeQuint Allen Jr.],
Ja’Quinden [RB Ja’Quinden Jackson], all of those guys have been awesome to work with, a
lot of fun to work with, and it’s great to see their improvement kind of day over day.”
(On what he has seen from QB Trevor Lawrence over the course of training camp and in the
first preseason game) “I think you see that growth in terms of the mastery of the offense.
We talked about it a little bit at the very beginning of training camp and even a little bit in the
spring. I think you see that starting to click. Now, there are still things around him that can
improve and there are still areas that he can improve and he knows that. Each day in a
different setting or a different play, you see one little thing or two little things or sometimes
it’s a lot of things that come together where you see that improvement in terms of that
mastery of his role.”
(On the one thing Lawrence has improved most on) “It’s hard to pick just one. I try to count
all the things that he improved on and appreciate all of them. So I don’t know that I would
just pick just pick one, but I think when we look at the operation of the offense and his
control of the line of scrimmage, the cadence, some of those things that we’re still working
to improve as a unit, but his personal growth is evident in that stuff, the footwork, some of
the reads, playing fast, completion. So there’s a lot of things and it makes it tough to pick
one.”
(On the progression of Lawrence’s footwork) “I would say he’s improved, and he will
probably continue to improve. I mean, that’s our goal. There really is no point where you
take your foot off the gas on that stuff. You’re always building the fundamentals even
throughout the season. Now the time you can allocate towards that shrinks as the season
continues, but he’s improved and the goal is that he continues to improve throughout the
year.”
(On RB LeQuint Allen’s pass protection and if a rookie can handle that responsibility) “I
think it kind of depends on the guy but like I mentioned, he’s done a great job of learning the
system, his willingness to go in there and pass protect in a bunch of difficult situations. The
defense throws a lot at those guys, not just from a mental standpoint, but physically,
they’re asked to do a lot of different things when it comes to picking up twists or getting up
in the A gap and taking on a backer or a defensive end at times. All of those guys, whether
it’s him or the rest of the room, have really embraced that role, because we’re asking them
to do things that maybe they haven’t done before, play techniques that they haven’t done
before.”
(On what he likes about RB Tank Bigsby) “There’s a lot to like about Tank. You see the style
of runner he is, and it almost pops out at times on tape with the physicality and his ability to
take one cut and, really attack lanes or holes depending on the run scheme it is. I think his
explosiveness in the run game, and hopefully, that’s something that we can say about all
the running backs in the room, whether it’s him, Tuten, LeQuint, or TJ. All of those guys have
that ability to take a two-yard run, three-yard run in to a five-yard run, 10-yard run, explosive
run beyond that, with their ability to break tackles or accelerate open in space.”
(On if he is concerned with WR Brian Thomas Jr.’s frustration) “I don’t know that I would list
it like that. I think that he holds himself to a high standard, which we appreciate and when
he doesn’t play to the standard that he holds himself to, sometimes that comes out in
frustration. This is what practice is about. You’re trying to improve on things. You’re trying to
put yourself in challenging situations. If you’re going out there and just succeeding at
everything every single day, you’re probably not pushing yourself hard enough. So we
expect there to be some element of frustration with every position, whether it’s a receiver,
whether it’s an offensive line, whether it’s mentally or physically. Most guys are going to be
in a situation at some point throughout the course of a practice, throughout the course of a
training camp where they probably push themselves maybe beyond their limits, or maybe
they just don’t perform to their standard. So, I think that frustration for all of us, coaches,
players included, it becomes a part of the process of growth, whatever we’re doing.”
(On if he would like to see Thomas Jr. not throw his helmet at practice) “Absolutely. Yeah.
We would love to see. I think the equipment guys are more concerned about that portion of
it than me in terms of the helmets but there’s a way we handle things and we want to have
kind of a what now mindset in terms of being able to learn from things and move on and be
in the present. So we’re all working on that. None of us are perfect at it.”
(On the performance of WR Parker Washington and how that confidence translates to
gameday) “I mentioned it last time. I think that when you see a guy execute something
consistently in practice, it gives you the confidence that he can go out there in the game
situation. Now the practice setting is a little different than a game, but like I just mentioned
previously, we’re trying to put these guys in challenging positions. For him to go out and
execute those things in the most challenging positions when he’s tired and the heat gives
you the confidence whether him or anybody to go out and do those things on game day.”
QUARTERBACK TREVOR LAWRENCE
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
THURSDAY, AUGUST 14, 2025
(On today’s scrimmage) “It was good competitiveness out here, guys going at it, competing,
trying to make each other better. So, I thought that was, I guess, positive today. A little
sloppy offensively. I thought we started great, had a long – I don’t know how many plays it
was – had a long drive to start. Went and scored. And then from there, the defense picked it
up a little bit, and we had some mistakes. Just self-inflicted wounds. It has kind of been the
story of camp, trying to clean up some of that stuff pre-snap. Just have to clean up the
operation, the mistakes that the defense doesn’t inflict on you, you do on yourself. So all
those mistakes, we’ve just got to get better and cleaner, but I thought there was some good
competition, guys flying around. So, there were some good, some bad. We’ll watch it. We’ll
learn from it all.”
(On if today’s mistakes can be cleaned up) “For sure. It’s pre-snap stuff. There’s always a
little bit of that in camp, but the amount we’ve had has been a little too sloppy for the
offense that we want to be. If we want to be a great offense, you have to be really smart, not
make those mistakes that hurt yourself. Obviously, execute. And I think the execution has
been actually decent once the ball is snapped, but the other stuff before the snap, you
don’t ever get a chance if you don’t do that right. So, there’s been some stuff that we just
have to lock in on the details. For me as a quarterback, have to operate a little cleaner. Let’s
get up to the line faster so guys can communicate and think and have time to process and
remind each other of the cadence. All those things. It’s all of us in it. We just have to be
sharper.”
(On Head Coach Liam Coen’s instruction and guidance) “It’s great. His communication,
he’s very, I’d say, thorough too, just with the details of every play of what he’s thinking. The
way he communicates with me on the sideline from play-to-play, between series in
practice, he does a great job of talking to me and seeing what I’m seeing. I think we’re really
starting to get on the same page as far as I’m thinking how he’s thinking in certain concepts
and playing faster. That is going to be something that just continues to grow as we play
more together and, obviously, as we get into the season and start playing these real games.
But it’s been awesome having him as our coach and just the teaching he’s been able to do
for our group, not just the quarterbacks, but the whole offense. The offensive line, the
running backs, the wideouts, he’s done a great job of just teaching us all a lot.”
(On if he is concerned about dropped passes) “I’d have to watch it. Some of those, I was in
for some of them, but then on the sideline, looking at the iPad with some of the guys here in
between series when the other groups were in. So, I’d have to see them. Some of it is focus.
Obviously, guys just looking at the ball and focusing and not trying to get up the field too
fast. Some good contested catches by our defense, too, breaking up some passes. But
we’ve got to treat all of them like they’re ours. And then sometimes the throws aren’t always
perfect. They’ve got to be in the right spot at the right time and give guys a chance to catch,
tuck and get up field. And if you’re late against a good defense like ours and give them time
to close and make a play on the ball, it makes it tougher. So there are a lot of factors that
could be involved in that. It’s not all on just guys catching the ball, but that is part of it. Just
focus in, looking it in, not trying to get up the field too quickly and making sure we secure it.
But yeah, we have to do our job as quarterbacks too and give them the ball accurately and
on time.”
(On if he expects to play on Sunday) “Yeah. I expect to play. And that’s kind of the mindset
in the preseason is expecting to play, and it’s always kind of a variable number of snaps.
You don’t really know exactly what it’s going to be, but expecting to play. I’m not sure if the
result of today’s practice would or wouldn’t have changed that, I don’t know as far as what
Coach [Head Coach Liam Coen] is thinking, but I’m prepared to play from what’s
communicated to us. We’re prepared to go and play a little bit. So, it’s just another
opportunity for us to get better. I think you have to take it for what it is and learn from it and
watch the tape. You can’t be doom and gloom come game time because we had a rough
practice. You’ve got to be able to bounce back, but we do have to clean this stuff up. Some
of the stuff showed up all camp, so we’ve got to be deliberate in how we and what we do to
change it. You’ve got to do something different in order to get different results.”
(On adjusting to his new footwork in a game setting) “A little bit. I felt like in the game, a little
bit, I reverted to some of the old stuff I used to do. Not a ton, though. I thought it was about
what I would expect. Some snaps where it wasn’t perfect, like it’s practice and where you’re
not going to get hit, and you’re not in the tight pocket. All those things. It’s obviously easier
to control that out here because of this, the red jersey. You’re not going to get hit. So, I think
that’s great practice for me is keeping calm feet, keeping calm eyes, being disciplined with
my feet in the pocket, staying in the safe spots, finding those safe spots. I thought overall
the game was pretty good, but there were a couple snaps of just bouncing around a little bit
that I want to clean up, and that is stuff that we already watched and kind of started
working on for this week.”
(On if it’s starting to feel like second nature) “Yeah, it does. It’s starting to feel a lot more
comfortable and natural. I’m not having to think about it. I’m not having to say, okay, what’s
my footwork on this play? None of that stuff anymore, obviously. So, I feel comfortable with
it. Some of the mechanical stuff that you’ve done for years – just the way you hitch, the way
you transfer weight and some of that stuff – takes a little longer to train out. But we do such
a good job of working it in Indy [individual] and all the periods that aren’t team periods to
where I’m starting to build that muscle memory where I see it carrying over. But I don’t think
about it when I’m playing when I’m in team periods or in a game because you don’t want to
be thinking about what am I doing with my mechanics? Like, you can’t play that way. You’ve
got enough to think about. So, we’ve done a great job of working on it, really, really detailed
work in Indy and trying to pinpoint the issues in those periods.”
(On if it’s comparable to rebuilding a golf swing) “I should. That’s something I need to do
(laughs). I don’t know. To answer your question, I’m not good enough at golf to answer that,
where I haven’t changed my swing. I probably should. For all the people watching that think
I need to, but I don’t know. That’s a tough question.”
(On if he has to remind himself of his footwork before each play) “Not anymore. In the
spring, it was a little bit. I’d get up there and I’d have to switch my feet back, because I’d
done it for a long time. I don’t remember what I did when I was seven or eight or whatever it
was (laughs).”
(On when the offensive line needs to be set for he and the line to build a rhythm) “That’s not
really a question for me to answer. I think continuity is important, but the way this game is,
guys get hurt and injured, and O-line is a group where I don’t know what the stats are, but
typically, you don’t have the same five guys every single game for the whole season. So,
there’s value in getting other people in there and playing and building that chemistry with
more than just five guys because the reality is something could happen, and you might not
have one of those guys, two of those guys. Who knows? It just depends on the type of year
you have. Hopefully, all our guys are healthy all year, but I think we have a good feel for the
five up front and who it’s going to be. And those guys are working well together, but we have
a lot of guys that can play, which is encouraging. But we’ve just got to get a little bit more on
the same page when guys come in at these different positions. Like we talked about before,
it’s not always the most comfortable thing for those guys to bounce around, but it’s
valuable for us. So, I think they’ve done a good job of doing it and doing it pretty well for the
most part. We’ve just got to clean up some of the simple stuff that we can fix.”
(On having a head coach who wants his input when making decisions) “He’s been
awesome. I feel like there’s been a lot of – I couldn’t name all of them – but there’s been a
lot of just little things where he’s taken something a player has said or suggested and
implemented it. And I think as players, that goes a long way because you’re like, alright,
we’re in this together, and he wants us to be. It’s not all about being comfortable, but it’s
also listening to your players and taking that feedback and using it to make your team
better. Whether it’s the schedule or practice or whatever, how guys are feeling. I think he
just has a really good pulse on the team, and it goes a long way with the guys. Like, even
some of the stuff in training camp, the way he structured things, we’ve been able to get our
bodies back. I think guys are very, one, appreciative of that and notice that. Especially when
you’ve been in the league now for a few years, you see how other places work, how other
training camps are, and you’re appreciative of the stuff he does. On the flip side, we have to
take care of him and come out here and be clean and crisp and practice hard because he’s
done a great job of really helping us feel good coming into these. You never feel great in
training camp, but for training camp, I think everyone would say we feel pretty good for it
being training camp.”
(On RB LeQuint Allen Jr. in pass protection) “He’s done a great job ever since he came in.
It’s been something I’ve noticed is his pass protection. He’s picked it up really quickly. The
biggest thing is, yeah, he knows what to do, but the way he does it, he’s really physical,
violent, meeting linebackers at the line of scrimmage, and that’s huge. You get these games
with these linebackers trying to pick off our centers and guards. The sooner you can meet
them, the more physical you are, it knocks them off their game. They’re trying to run, and
you can pass it off. And that’s a killer for a group up front. If you get picked on a game, it
could be a four-man, five-man rush, and you should be blocked. And if we get picked, then
it’s an unblocked hitter on you. So, he’s been a really key blocker for us in pass protection.”
(On Allen Jr. being physical in practice) “Yeah (laughs). That was good stuff. We obviously
don’t want to make a habit of that, but the competitiveness, and then right after, both of
them were great like nothing happened. So, that’s what you want to see. It gets competitive
out here, and it should be. You don’t want to cross that line too often, but we’re all
teammates at the end of the day.”
