What started as a position lacking healthy options for the Cleveland Browns has evolved into a crowded competition featuring four viable candidates.
Cleveland acquired Kenny Pickett through trade and brought back veteran Joe Flacco on a new contract.
The team also selected rookies Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders in the draft.
Head coach Kevin Stefanski now faces the challenge of distributing practice repetitions fairly while evaluating each player’s capabilities. Flacco has received most of the first-team work through early training camp sessions.
However, his long-term prospects in Cleveland recently came under scrutiny from Bleacher Report analyst Alex Kay.
“Despite Flacco’s extensive experience and impressive resume, he isn’t the long-term answer in Cleveland. After saving the Browns’ season two years ago—going 4-1 across five regular-season starts to help the team claim a playoff berth—he signed with the Indianapolis Colts and looked every bit the aging veteran on his way out. While Flacco may be a sensible choice going into the new season as a steady hand who can still manage a game, the Browns should not pass up the opportunity for one of their younger QBs to earn valuable reps. If Cleveland continues to struggle out of the gate, Flacco should be yanked in exchange for one of his backups,” Kay wrote.
The veteran quarterback has made his priorities clear regarding this season.
Winning games and proving his continued capability remain “very important” to him.
Cleveland’s early schedule supports the argument for starting Flacco. The Browns face divisional rivals Cincinnati and Baltimore before meeting all three 2024 NFC North playoff teams.
This demanding stretch makes his experience valuable while allowing younger quarterbacks to develop without immediate pressure.
The schedule softens in mid-October, potentially creating opportunities for Cleveland to evaluate its rookie options in meaningful situations.
For Stefanski, this competition extends beyond on-field production to include how each player handles the mental demands of the position.
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