The Cleveland Browns are closer to naming a starting quarterback, although not under ideal circumstances.
Kenny Pickett suffered a hamstring injury over the weekend. On Monday, July 28, head coach Kevin Stefanski said he expects Pickett back quickly and added that the fourth-year signal-caller is still in the hunt to start Week 1. But the Browns are liable to make a call on the QB1 slot in the next two weeks, give or take a few days, and it’s unlikely Pickett can win the gig if he can’t get back on the field soon.
Stefanski didn’t give a timeline for Pickett’s return Monday, though he will miss at least the next two practice sessions before a day off Thursday. At that point, Pickett will still be a day shy of a week since the injury sidelined him, and hamstrings aren’t the kind of issues from which players often rush back due to the high probability of re-injury that doing so presents.
Stefanski added that Joe Flacco is going to get the “majority” of the snaps with the first-team offense moving forward — a strong indication that he now occupies the poll position with regards to the job. For his part, Flacco continued to play coy and cool as to his spot on the depth chart when speaking with reporters.
“Listen, I’ve been trying to keep my head down this whole time anyway, so I really don’t [know],” Flacco said, per Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. “Couldn’t say.”
Joe Flacco Wants More Work, Kevin Stefanski Plans to Give it to Him
GettyQuarterback Joe Flacco of the Cleveland Browns.
Flacco’s message that he did not wish to discuss his role outright was fairly clear.
However, he also admitted that he’s desired more work with the first-team offense after spending the first week of training camp and much of the preseason before that watching signal-callers less familiar with Stefanski’s offense get more work tossed their way.
“Of course, yeah,” Flacco responded to a question about whether he has desired more snaps.
Flacco and the Cleveland coaching staff both acknowledged earlier in the offseason that he didn’t need as much work as his counterparts, which was the deciding factor on the level of reps he received.
However, Stefanski sent a message of his own Monday by naming Flacco as the intended recipient of the majority of first-team reps with Pickett out.
Joe Flacco Proved Himself With Browns in 2023, Could Play Final NFL Season in Cleveland This Year
GettyCleveland Browns quarterback Joe Flacco.
That clearly places Flacco in the driver’s seat to reclaim the role of starter, which he excelled in for the Browns down the stretch of the 2023 campaign.
Flacco won four of his five regular-season starts, helping a Browns’ squad crippled by injuries to the QB room finish with 11 wins and earn a playoff berth as the No. 5 seed in the AFC. Flacco tallied 1,616 yards through the air, 13 touchdowns and eight interceptions across those five games.
However, the Browns lost to the Houston Texans on the road during Super Wildcard Weekend. Flacco didn’t play particularly well, throwing one TD pass compared to two interceptions and taking four sacks. He did eclipse 300 yards through the air, though the Texans went on to win 45-14 after blowing the Browns out in the opening half of play.
Flacco is now 40 years old and could be playing his final NFL season in 2025.
