Cleveland Browns helmet sits on the field during warmups prior to the game against the Green Bay Packers. Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

Browns Urged to Make Significant Roster Cut for One Key Reason

Originally posted on Cleveland Browns on SI
By Matthew Schmidt | Last updated Aug 15, 2025 10:29 AM ET

The Cleveland Browns will ultimately have some difficult decisions to make before the start of the NFL regular season, and that will surely include how to handle their quarterback situation.

The Browns currently have four quarterbacks vying for the starting job, and all of them were offseason additions. Cleveland traded for Kenny Pickett, signed Joe Flacco in free agency and selected both Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders in the NFL Draft.

Whether or not the Browns actually have a long-term answer among that group remains to be seen, but one thing is for sure: we know Flacco isn't a permanent solution.

Should the Browns cut ties with Joe Flacco?

Cleveland added Flacco to add a veteran presence to the room and potentially serve as a bridge starter in 2025, but Bleacher Report's Gary Davenport doesn't even think the Browns should let things get that far.

Davenport is urging Cleveland to cut Flacco prior to Week 1, noting that the 40-year-old may sabotage its chances of landing a top pick in next year's draft.

"Cleveland has a pair of first-rounders in 2026: their own and Jacksonville's. Flacco isn't going to miraculously lead the Browns to the playoffs a la 2023. But he could win just enough games to mess up their chances of drafting an elite quarterback prospect without using both picks to trade up," Davenport wrote.

Flacco initially joined the Browns midway through the 2023 campaign and went 4-1 in his five starts, guiding Cleveland to a postseason appearance. He even won the Comeback Player of the Year award for his efforts.

Will Flacco be doing that again this coming season? It seems highly unlikely given that the Browns went 3-14 in 2024 and certainly do not have a contending roster on paper, but Davenport has a point: Flacco may be just good enough to win Cleveland a game or two that it may regret later.

The 2026 draft class is rife with quarterback talent, and many feel that the Browns will actually be looking to next spring to find their franchise player at the position. If that's the case, then the more games they lose in 2025, the better.

This article first appeared on Cleveland Browns on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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