Browns announce quarterback decision for rest of season

The Cleveland Browns offense is going to be in the hands of veteran quarterback Joe Flacco for the remainder of the season. Head coach Kevin Stefanski announced that decision on Sunday evening following the Browns' 31-27 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. 

The Flacco is story is one of the most surreal developments in the NFL this season. Cleveland signed him shortly after starting Deshaun Watson was lost for the remainder of the season and when backup Dorian Thompson-Robinson was sidelined by a concussion. He was thrust into the starting role last week and handled himself well in a loss to the Los Angeles Rams.

He was even better on Sunday, completing 26-of-45 passes for 311 yards and three touchdowns. In his first two starts with the Browns he has thrown for a total of 565 yards and five touchdowns.

It is such a stunning development because the 38-year-old Flacco was sitting at home unsigned prior to joining the Browns. He spent the previous three seasons with the New York Jets, most recently appearing in five games for the team during the 2022 campaign. He threw for 1,051 yards, five touchdowns and three interceptions a year ago.

The Browns (8-5) are in a strong position in the AFC wild-card race and own the No. 5 seed following Sunday's games. They have a strong defense and solid running game, so they probably do not need Flacco to put the team on his back and carry it. They just need him to avoid mistakes, manage the game efficiently and make some occasional throws. In other words, be a game manager. 

The Browns play the Chicago Bears, Houston Texans, New York Jets and Cincinnati Bengals to close out the regular season. Those games against the Texans and Bengals will be significant for playoff positioning as both teams are among the log-jam of teams competing for the three wild-card spots.