The Cleveland Browns will only bring one quarterback onto the field for a workout in light of Deshaun Watson’s season-ending injury.
Joe Flacco. While they could bring in others, Flacco is the veteran passer who might make the most sense for this offense.
The best-case scenario for the Browns is that rookie Dorian Thompson-Robinson comes out and plays well against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday,
leading the team to a win. In case he struggles like he did in his first game as a starter against the Baltimore Ravens, the Browns will need a backup plan.
They might go back to P.J. Walker, who has had two game-winning drives this year, but if they can help it, they want an upgrade. Flacco can be that upgrade.
Besides money, one of the reasons the Browns chose not to bring back Jacoby Brissett was that he fit into an offense designed for Deshaun Watson.
The Browns ran one offense for Brissett for 11 games and then began switching to another for Watson.
Flacco was an exceptional athlete out of the University of Delaware and even though he has lost a step since then he can move.
He probably won’t run many RPOs, but the Browns won’t need to get as much mileage out of their game plan with Flacco as they did with Brissett.
The Browns also got to see Flacco up close last year when he led the New York Jets to an improbable victory over the Browns, dismantling the defense and throwing for 307 yards and four touchdowns.
I always felt like if the Jets had stuck with Flacco and that team would have made the playoffs. Instead, the Jets chose Zach Wilson and Mike White.
White was a good option in his own right as he signed a free agent contract with the Miami Dolphins during the offseason.
Flacco understands what a team expects of him. His arm is strong enough and he has the accuracy to force his opponents to cover a lot of ground.
Flacco has started 180 games in his career and has plenty of experience in the AFC North climate.
So he knows what to expect from the elements and the defense. Flacco’s career record at Cleveland Browns Stadium is 10-1.
The Browns wouldn’t ask Flacco to save them. Just move the offense around and keep it in the game long enough to get a shot at the end. A lot of this comes down to getting the ball to the playmakers.
Last year with the Jets, Garrett Wilson averaged 12.5 goals per game. Flacco played most of the snaps. In the first three games of his career, all with Flacco,
Wilson caught 18 passes for 214 yards and two touchdowns.
Elijah Moore would likely welcome Flacco, as he has 12 receptions for 139 yards and a touchdown through the first three games of the season, accounting for 31% of his 2022 production.
Nothing would be better than DTR building on the potential he showed in the preseason, but Flacco represents a good contingency plan that could put the Browns in contention not only for the playoffs, but perhaps be for the AFC North title division to stay in the race.
Cleveland Browns considering drafting veteran quarterback Joe Flacco
Since a third quarterback is needed on the roster, the Cleveland Browns are bringing experienced quarterback Joe Flacco to practice.
The Cleveland Browns need a third quarterback on the roster after Deshaun Watson suffered a season-ending shoulder injury, and they took the first step toward solving that problem by appealing to Joe Flacco for a workout.
Flacco is reportedly the only Berea quarterback practicing today, indicating serious interest in bringing the veteran quarterback into the roster.
It’s been a career full of ups and downs for Flacco, who won the Super Bowl with the Baltimore Ravens in 2013 and was named Super Bowl MVP. Flacco, now a free agent, most recently played for the New York Jets, a team he spent three seasons with.
He previously spent a year with the Denver Broncos and a few months with the Philadelphia Eagles, but most of his career was spent with the Baltimore Ravens, where he played for eleven seasons.
During his career, Flacco started 180 games with a record of 99-81. He has a career completion percentage of 61.6% and has totaled 42,320 yards and 232 touchdowns.
In 2022, Flacco started four games for the Jets, five times in total, completing 110 of 191 passes for 1,051 yards and five touchdowns.
The Browns are likely attracted to his years of experience and seeing firsthand in their stadium what he can still do in this league.
He led a miraculous comeback against the Browns in Week 2 of 2022, when he went 26-44 for 307 yards and four touchdowns in the Jets’ 31-30 win over the Browns.
The offense will be simple enough for Flacco to operate and his experience could be valuable compared to the two quarterbacks currently on the roster.
There would be hope for a late season similar to Jacoby Brissett’s final season.
Keep an eye on the OBR for any kind of official signing announcement.
