Despite a few competitive performances, the Cleveland Browns are heading toward another disappointing finish as they own a 1-4 record through five weeks of the 2025 NFL season.
The Browns were expected to struggle, but now that the reality is here, the franchise has already started to look toward 2026 and beyond.
Cleveland has been one of the busier teams in the trade market, already having completed multiple deals in an effort to jump on adding draft picks.
The most newsworthy deal was when the Browns traded Joe Flacco to the Cincinnati Bengals, marking the first in-division trade between the two teams.
Flacco largely struggled as the starter in Cleveland, but now goes to a Cincinnati team desperate to stay afloat while Joe Burrow recovers.
As far as who is responsible for dealing Flacco, Tony Grossi believes general manager Andrew Berry and owner Jimmy Haslam pushed for the deal.
“AB and the owner, I think. That’s why Flacco was traded, to make this possible,” Grossi said.”
“AB and the owner, I think. That’s why Flacco was traded, to make this possible,” – @TonyGrossi on who made the call for Shedeur to be QB2. pic.twitter.com/2rvEefNk6G
— ESPN Cleveland (@ESPNCleveland) October 11, 2025
It was an interesting decision to trade Flacco as head coach Kevin Stefanski now has to make things work with two rookies in Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders.
Gabriel made his first career NFL start last week against the Minnesota Vikings and is slated to start again against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 6.
Meanwhile, Sanders was elevated to the No. 2 spot and could be in line for a start if Gabriel fails to produce.
Stefanski likely would have liked to keep Flacco around to mentor the young quarterbacks, but it seems Berry and Haslam will be on the hunt for more deals and draft picks.
NEXT: Browns Announce Roster Move Ahead Of Steelers Game
