It’s Week 2 of the preseason, and it’s still unclear who the Cleveland Browns’ starting quarterback is going to be as Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, Dillon Gabriel, and Shedeur Sanders are all still in the running.
Fans have been clamoring for updates all offseason, but the Browns have been tight-lipped about the entire process, though guard Joel Bitonio may have given a real hint as to who is going to win the job.
Cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot recently wrote an article that featured a long quote from Bitonio giving a firm endorsement to Flacco, saying that the team has plenty of faith in him as a leader.
“We have faith in the room and the coaches’ decisions, but we’ve been around Joe and he’s done a great job for us, led us to the playoffs a couple of years ago,” left guard Joel Bitonio said. “So we have all the faith in him. Obviously we hope all our quarterbacks aren’t banged up, kind of how it is right now. But 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.”
With Pickett yet to participate in 11-on-11 drills in camp, and Gabriel and Sanders still being rookies and working through injuries of their own, starting Flacco in Week 1 would be the most sensible decision.
Cleveland’s early-season schedule is brutal, and this is an offensive line that surrendered 66 sacks last season.
It would be irresponsible to throw a third or fifth-round rookie behind that line right out of the gate against some of the league’s best teams.
Flacco also has the benefit of having played in Kevin Stefanski’s offense before, as he led the team to the playoffs just two years ago.
While the Browns may not appear ready to officially name a starter, all signs are pointing to Flacco.
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