Report: Cleveland Browns name veteran QB Joe Flacco Week 1 starter
The Cleveland Browns have announced veteran quarterback Joe Flacco will be their Week 1 starter when they host the Cincinnati Bengals.
Entering his 18th NFL season, it was also announced Flacco will start the team’s final pre-season when they host the Los Angeles Rams on Saturday. Flacco hasn’t played in either of Cleveland’s first two pre-season games, but head coach Kevin Stefanski is treating the pre-season finale as a dress rehearsal for Week 1 of the regular season.
With the QB1 question addressed, let’s take a deeper look at the Browns ahead of Week 1.
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Joe Flacco
At 40-years-old, this could be the last kick at the can for Flacco. It’s the veteran pivot’s second stint in Cleveland after a five-game stretch to end the 2023 season. Flacco went 4-1 as the Browns’ starter, throwing for over 300 yards in four straight games before Cleveland fell to Houston in the Divisional Round of the playoffs. He was later named NFL Comeback Player of the Year for his efforts.
Flacco spent last season with the Indianapolis Colts, going 2-4 as a starter. He re-joined Cleveland on a one-year contract worth $4 million.
A first round pick by Baltimore in the 2008 NFL draft, Flacco has thrown for 45,697 yards with 257 touchdowns and 162 interceptions over 196 career games (191 starts). He was named MVP of Super Bowl 47, leading the Ravens to a win over the San Francisco 49ers.
Cleveland Browns depth chart
Cleveland had arguably the most crowded quarterback room of any team entering training camp. In addition to Flacco, the Browns also have Kenny Pickett as well as rookies Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders on the depth chart. That’s in addition to Deshaun Watson, who is still rehabbing an Achilles injury and is unlikely to play this season.
Pickett was a first round pick by Pittsburgh in the 2022 draft. After two seasons with the Steelers, he was traded to the Eagles and was a member of last year’s Super Bowl-winning team. Pickett was traded to Cleveland in the off-season, but he has not participated in full drills since suffering a hamstring injury on July 26.
Gabriel was picked up by the Browns in the third round of this year’s draft, but he hasn’t played in the pre-season because of a hamstring injury.
Sanders plummeted to the fifth round of this year’s draft after being projected to possibly be a top-10 pick. He looked good in Cleveland’s first pre-season game, throwing for 138 yards and two TDs, but he missed the second game because of an oblique injury.
With a slew of quarterback injuries, the Browns also signed Tyler Huntley on Aug. 4. Huntley is likely the odd man out if/when the quarterback room gets healthy.
And speaking of quarterback injuries, there’s also Watson, who had surgery in January to repair his right Achilles. Watson will likely miss the full season, but even if he was healthy, his time in Cleveland is probably over.
