Why Browns 'undoubtedly' will name this QB their Week 1 starter

Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski confirmed on Sunday that he will name his Week 1 starting quarterback before the club's preseason finale versus the Los Angeles Rams on Aug. 23. 

For an article published late Sunday night, Browns insider Tony Grossi of ESPN Cleveland/The Land on Demand repeated the obvious regarding what seemingly has been a quarterback competition in name only for the bulk of the summer. 

"Undoubtedly, it will be Joe Flacco, the 40-year-old freak of nature who was the only one of the four quarterbacks not to miss a single practice because of injury," Grossi wrote about who will start when the Browns host the Cincinnati Bengals on Sept. 7. "Regardless of the soft-tissue injuries that limited Kenny Pickett, Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders, Flacco’s elite arm, deft play-faking ability and veteran acumen were unmatched in a quarterback competition that wasn’t close."

Pickett hasn't yet taken a single in-game snap during the preseason after he suffered a hamstring injury on July 26, while Gabriel sat out Cleveland's 30-10 win over the Carolina Panthers on Aug. 8 because of a hamstring issue. Sanders played well against Carolina but was then sidelined for the Browns' 22-13 win over the Philadelphia Eagles this past Saturday due to an oblique injury. 

The Browns acquired Pickett from the Eagles before Cleveland selected Gabriel and Sanders during this year's draft. Meanwhile, Flacco famously won four of five starts while running Stefanski's offense to guide the 2023 Browns to the playoffs. 

"We’ve been around Joe and he’s done a great job for us, led us to the playoffs a couple of years ago," Browns guard Joel Bitonio said on Aug. 14. "So we have all the faith in him. He’s shown that he can lead this team, and his poise and his confidence in the huddle is what you’d expect from an 18-year vet. We have all the confidence in the world in whoever they put out there, but Joe’s obviously been the healthiest guy and kind of our option right now."

Browns general manager Andrew Berry seems serious about having four quarterbacks on the active roster following Labor Day weekend. Perhaps the Rams could call the Browns about Pickett's availability if the back injury that has kept Matthew Stafford from practicing this summer impacts him this fall, but there was no indication as of Monday morning that such a trade was imminent. 

For a piece posted late Sunday night, Gilberto Manzano of Sports Illustrated noted that "it seems Stafford will be dealing with back discomfort for the foreseeable future." That said, it also appears the Browns won't discard Pickett without allowing him to show what he can and/or can't do against an opposing defense. 

As of Monday morning, it was unclear if Pickett will be able to play against the Rams on Aug. 23.