Former Super Bowl champion completely disagrees with Browns' Joe Flacco decision

Not only has Flacco taken the majority of the snaps for the Browns during the offseason, he also has some experience in head coach Kevin Stefanski's system, having started five straight games and leading the team to a postseason appearance in the 2023 season.

With a daunting schedule to begin the season in which it will face five 2024 playoff teams in its first six games, Cleveland will be tested out of the gate. Even if that slate does not go well for the Browns, having someone as experienced as Flacco at least gives them someone who has been in those environments before.

The situation is not lost on Flacco, though, who realizes the position he is in with younger, talented QBs below him on the depth chart who are looking for an opportunity to prove themselves.

Pickett and Gabriel have each dealt with hamstring injuries, which gave Sanders an opportunity in the Week 1 preseason game against the Carolina Panthers. Following an impressive two-TD performance in his debut, Sanders suffered an oblique injury and missed the Week 2 preseason matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Stefanski refuted the claim that Flacco won the starting role by default on Tuesday due to those injuries, instead saying, "He earned it."

Once Pickett, Gabriel and Sanders are healthy, it would be a huge benefit to the Browns in the long term to start them and see how they fare in regular-season action. While Pickett has some prior experience with the Steelers and Eagles, Gabriel and Sanders are entering their first season in the league with plenty of upside coming out of college.

Flacco may be the safe bet to begin the season, but if Cleveland does not give its talented youngsters some time to showcase their abilities in game action, it will still not solve the problem of trying to find its next franchise QB.