The Cleveland Browns‘ quarterback room has been among the most discussed position groups this preseason, though the conversation around veteran Joe Flacco has been decidedly muted.
Cleveland reunited with Flacco via a one-year deal in free agency earlier this spring. The now 40-year-old quarterback started five games for the Browns down the stretch of the 2023 campaign, going 4-1 and leading the team to a playoff berth as the top wildcard team in the AFC. The franchise parted ways with Flacco following a first-round loss to the Houston Texans, at least in part to keep the pressure off of Deshaun Watson, who entered the third season of his five-year contract with Cleveland in 2024.
The Browns have since given up on Watson, though he remains on the roster due to his $230 million contract. They are essentially holding a sprawling audition this summer between Flacco, Kenny Pickett and rookies Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders.
Gabriel and Pickett took the most snaps through mandatory minicamp, with Gabriel seeing considerable work with the first-team offense and against the first-team defense.
Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated recently spoke with Flacco and discussed the backseat he has taken to his younger QB counterparts throughout preseason work and in media discussions surrounding the starting job in Cleveland.
“I’m not expecting to get priority and a million reps out there,” Flacco said. “It is my 18th year, and I think at this time of the year, it’s not necessarily a priority to get me the most reps.”
Joe Flacco Still in Line for Browns’ Starting Job Come Week 1 of Regular Season
GettyCleveland Browns quarterback Joe Flacco.
Breer interpreted Flacco’s commentary in an article he published on Monday, June 16.
“In poking around, my rough translation is that Flacco is on the same page as [Browns head coach] Kevin Stefanski. He’s not coming back at his age to hold a clipboard,” Breer wrote. “There are some changes to the offense, with new coordinator Tommy Rees (who wasn’t on Stefanski’s staff when Flacco was there two years ago), but the bones of it remain the same. Thus, the staff had a lot more to learn about Kenny Pickett, Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders this spring.”
The most telling move from Stefanski and Rees will come once training camp officially begins.
Shedeur Sanders Has Made ‘Impression’ on Browns Coaching Staff
GettyCleveland Browns quarterbacks Joe Flacco (left) and Shedeur Sanders (right).
Jeremy Fowler of ESPN spoke to Sanders’ position on the roster, which is currently as the QB4, though his star is on the rise. In doing so, Fowler also indicated that considerably more clarity on the position battle is coming soon.
“Sanders … showed the ability to put the ball in some tight windows,” Fowler said. “He threw with aggressiveness, took some chances, so they like where he sits. Now Stefanski has to formulate a plan in training camp that is probably a little more crystallized, maybe has a little more depth chart to it. They are not there yet. But Sanders has made an impression, there’s no doubt.”
Cleveland is likely to move on from one of its top four quarterbacks by the end of August, though the leading candidate for departure remains a mystery at this point.
