The most recent iteration of the Cleveland Browns is a case study in quarterback acquisition, as the franchise has landed four signal-callers during the offseason — all of whom were playing elsewhere last season.
None of the four was a regular NFL starter in 2024, as Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel were playing major college football, while Kenny Pickett and Joe Flacco were working as backup quarterbacks with the Philadelphia Eagles and Indianapolis Colts, respectively.
The Browns brought in Gabriel and Sanders by way of the draft in the third and fifth rounds, respectively, after trading for Pickett and inking Flacco in free agency. The idea is to throw as many proverbial darts at the board and see if at least one doesn’t strike a bullseye.
Of course, the team’s QB strategy following a 3-14 season has drawn a good amount of discussion and debate on who should stay and who should go as well as who should start and who should sit. Anthony Alandt of 92.3 The Fan in Cleveland offered his opinion on the matter late last week, urging the Browns to move on from the one player they can be certain isn’t the longterm future of the franchise.
“I think the clunkiest situation is Joe Flacco because no matter if he goes out and goes 17-0 or 0-17, he’s really not going to be your quarterback next year,” Alandt said on Friday, June 20. “Bar none.”
Browns Reunion With Joe Flacco Likely 1-Year Move
GettyCleveland Browns quarterback Joe Flacco.
Flacco will play the upcoming season at 40 years old and has taken the fewest number of preseason snaps to this point. However, that isn’t necessarily an indicator that he is on a trajectory that ends up with him released or traded.
Either he or Pickett is likely to be playing elsewhere come Week 1, as there is no real reason for the Browns to carry four active QBs into the season, especially when Deshaun Watson may end up back on the active roster at some point in 2025 based on his recovery timeline from a twice-torn Achilles tendon.
Flacco led the Browns to a 4-1 record down the stretch of the 2023 campaign and into the playoffs as a wildcard team. Cleveland let him walk in free agency in order to clear the way for Watson in his third season with the franchise, though that turned out a bust.
Bringing Flacco back in free agency this offseason doesn’t make a ton of sense unless the team did so to start him Week 1 and serve as a bridge to a rookie QB. The initial plan might have been to keep Pickett as well and draft just one rookie signal-caller. However, those plans changed when Sanders fell all the way to the early fifth round.
Kenny Pickett Could Be Playing Elsewhere by Week 1
GettyCleveland Browns quarterback Kenny Pickett.
Alandt’s co-host Nick Pedone offered a counter argument, saying that Pickett is the “clunkiest” fit and urging the Browns to move on from him and keep Flacco on the roster this year.
“I’m not convinced that it’s not gonna work out, I just think that’s like the clunkiest scenario — is Kenny Pickett in general, because I don’t really understand where he fits in here,” Pedone said. “I think the path is probably Joe Flacco as your starter and then bridge to Shedeur [Sanders] or Dillon Gabriel, whichever one looks better. And you get both of those guys regular-season cracks this season.”
Browns training camp begins in mid-July and some major roster decisions, including at the quarterback position, should come in the weeks that follow.
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