Cody Kessler breaks down changes in his throwing motion and more with 92.3 The Fan

Cleveland Browns quarterback Cody Kessler spoke with 92.3 The Fan’s Ken Carman on Thursday, the final day of the team’s mandatory minicamp. The front-runner in the Browns’ current quarterback battle disclosed the changes he’s made to his throwing motion during the offseason and detailed what has him excited about the Browns’ 2017 season.

Kessler, whose throwing style was, in Carman’s words “throwing with just his arm,” has spent the months since the close of 2016 trying to improve his whole-body technique. He worked with vaunted quarterback coaches Adam Dedeaux and Tom House to completely revamp his fundamentals, ones that hadn’t changed throughout his high school or college careers. Kessler demonstrated the changes in his throw to Carman:

Making the changes wasn’t easy; Kessler said that “It was difficult at first, of course, learning it—new mechanics, new way of flowing through your throwing motion. But I bought into it, worked really hard on it and it’s been really beneficial to me.” The real key, though, will be whether “all the reps in the offseason,” that Kessler has taken to ingrain this new approach will stick in a live-game situation. A quarterback deciding to change his throwing motion is, of course, just one piece of the puzzle; the second is making sure it becomes automatic.

Kessler also discussed what has him excited heading into the 2017 season, one of which is the presence of veteran wide receiver Kenny Britt. Kessler described working with Britt so far this year as “awesome,” adding, “he’s a true pro, he’s a vet. He’s always in there studying the script for the day or watching film or getting a jump on the next day.” Britt has been working hard to build open communication not just with Kessler but the other wideouts on the roster: “We communicate a ton. Inside the huddle, outside the huddle, off the field... and he’s also helping the younger guys, guys are feeding off of him, so I’m excited,” said Kessler.

“Excited” was indeed a word Kessler returned to numerous times when speaking with Carman. He’s excited about the veterans who are returning as well as the additions of “a lot of great pieces in the offseason.” He also predicted the upcoming season is “going to be exciting.” But how does Kessler plan to contribute to this excitement?

By helping the Browns reach their ultimate goal: “As a team, to win. To win, and to continue to win and to keep winning,” said Kessler, who added, “My main goal is to go out there and win as many games as possible. With this team, that’s very possible.” But in the short term Kessler needs to keep hold of his spot at the top of the depth chart in order to be the quarterback who leads the Browns to the wins that Kessler so clearly thinks are ahead.