Cleveland Browns Name Joe Flacco Starting Quarterback Ahead Of Week One

The news may come as no surprise to fans, as Flacco has the most professional experience in the quarterback room, along with the most time spent under Stefanski in Cleveland. After the franchise suffered multiple injuries in the quarterback department in 2023, the 40-year-old talent was thrusted into a starting position during the team's incredible playoff run. In the five regular-season games he played in that year, Flacco threw for 1,616 yards and 13 touchdowns while completing 60.3 percent of his attempts.

Despite leading the Browns to the playoffs, general manager Andrew Berry decided to let the experienced gunslinger walk in free agency with quarterback Deshaun Watson returning from injury in 2024. This led to Flacco signing with the Indianapolis Colts last season, where he played in seven games and him finishing with 1,761 passing yards throughout his time with the organization. But with Cleveland looking to completely revamp their quarterback room ahead of the 2025 season, Berry ultimately brought the fan-favorite back to Cleveland this offseason.

What This Means For The Browns

The Browns have been unable to find stability at the quarterback position ever since Baker Mayfield was traded during Stefanski's time as the head coach. However, this dramatically changed when Flacco was under center, as his experience in the league and his skillset proved to be a perfect match for Stefanski's offense.

Flacco excelled in all aspects of the passing game for the Browns in 2023, including Stefanski's heavy usage of play action. Cleveland's first six games of the upcoming season will be the toughest part of their schedule, which makes perfect sense why the organization opted to start Flacco due to his experience in the system.

This move also gives both rookie quarterbacks Dillon Gabriel and Sheduer Sanders time to develop behind a proven commodity this season. Both newcomers showed plenty of promise during their starts in the first two preseason games this season, but still need to improve their ability to work under center. Flacco gives the rookies more runway, while also preventing them from being thrown in the fire in the first six games of the 2025 season.