Joe Flacco is back with the Cleveland Browns, but he knows he’ll have to compete for the starting gig during his second stint.
In 2023, Flacco delivered an unexpected resurgence with the Browns, stepping in after Deshaun Watson went down with a season-ending injury. Signed in late November, he wasted little time making an impact, guiding the Browns to a 4–1 record in his starts and helping clinch a playoff berth.
Flacco topped 300 passing yards in four straight games and became thew first quarterback in league history to open his tenure with a new team by throwing for at least 250 yards and multiple touchdowns in five consecutive outings. His late-season heroics earned him Comeback Player of the Year honors.
It’s a different situation this time around. Flacco will compete with Kenny Pickett — acquired in a March trade — and likely a rookie for the job. He’s not coming to Cleveland with any perceived notion that the job is his.
“I don’t think there’s any expectation of exactly who’s going ot be the starting quarterback,” Flacco said.
Flacco spent last season with the Indianapolis Colts. As the starter, he went 2-4, passing for 1,761 yards, 12 touchdowns, and seven interceptions.
Kenny Pickett Firmly in Mix for Browns
Pickett is a former first-round pick and is eager to be a starter again. He spent last season with the Philadelphia Eagles, backing up Jalen Hurts. Prior to that, Pickett spent two years as the starter in Pittsburgh, posting a 14-10 record. He collected 4,474 yards, 13 touchdowns and 13 interceptions in a Steelers uniform.
The Browns’ reunion with Flacco and the buzz surrounding a potential rookie quarterback have pushed Pickett to the background in Cleveland. Still, the former first-round pick is determined to compete and prove he belongs in the starting role.
“That’s the plan, man (to start),” Pickett said, via the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. “I’m not going there to hang out. I want to go play. I’m excited, been working hard for it, taking it a day at a time.”
That said, Pickett is eager to work along Flacco — a respected veteran with a Super Bowl on his resume.
“I’ve heard nothing but great things about Joe,” Pickett said. “I’ve been watching him since I was 10 years old. Total respect for Joe, what he’s done and I’m excited to get to work with him, too.”
Browns Think Highly of Kenny Pickett
Pickett has a shot at redemption in Cleveland after underwhelming stops in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. The Browns believe there’s untapped potential in the former first-rounder, banking on the possibility that, like others before him, a new environment could unlock a turnaround.
“The way that everyone talked up Kenny Pickett at the NFL annual meeting, the way Kenny Pickett is talking about himself, I think the Browns are hoping to catch lightning in a bottle with him, in the same way some of these other teams have with former first-round picks who show promise early on, but needed a change of scenery, needed a different environment to operate in,” Browns insider Mary Kay Cabot said Tuesday on 92.3 The Fan. “I think they are really, really high on Kenny Pickett.”
The Browns hold the No. 2 pick in the draft later this month. The Browns appear to be steering away from taking a quarterback in that spot but could take one in the later rounds.
