Browns and Colts chose their starting QBs, but more twists could still come

Washington Post

a day ago

The Cleveland Browns and Indianapolis Colts made starting quarterback decisions this week that clarify their situations for Week 1. But just how lasting their arrangements will be remains to be seen.
Browns Coach Kevin Stefanski named Joe Flacco, the 40-year-old former Super Bowl MVP for the Baltimore Ravens, to start the Sept. 7 opener against the Cincinnati Bengals. The far greater intrigue surrounds what Stefanski will do next with roster spots and depth chart assignments for fourth-year quarterback Kenny Pickett and rookies Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders.
The Colts' competition between Anthony Richardson and Daniel Jones presented a tougher call for Coach Shane Steichen in what could be a make-or-break season for him and General Manager Chris Ballard. Steichen chose Jones, the former New York Giants starter who signed with the Colts in free agency. But no one should be surprised if there are further twists — Jones lost his grip on the Giants' starting job just last season, and Richardson has a tantalizing amount of talent.
The Browns made their quarterback announcement Monday, but Stefanski's selection of Flacco had become anticlimactic by the time he made the official decision. In recent weeks, all signs had pointed to Flacco being the Week 1 starter. He took the work with the starting offense during last week's joint practice with the Philadelphia Eagles, although he sat out the first two preseason games.
Flacco said last week in Philadelphia that he had been feeling increasingly comfortable as he had gotten more work on the practice field. Opening the season with Flacco as the starter always was the path of least resistance for Cleveland.
'I thought Joe has performed really well in camp and going back to the offseason program,' Stefanski said at a news conference Tuesday. 'I thought he's done exactly what we've asked him to do. And I think we have a lot of confidence in him.'
Two seasons ago, the Browns reached the AFC playoffs with Flacco filling in for the injured Deshaun Watson. Flacco was named the NFL's comeback player of the year. The Browns did not re-sign him after that season, prompting speculation that they did not want his popularity to interfere with Watson's latest attempt to become the quarterback the team thought it was getting when it traded for him in 2022. Flacco spent last season with the Colts as things unraveled for the Browns, who lost Watson to a ruptured Achilles tendon and went 3-14.
Things are far different now. Watson perhaps has played his final game for the franchise, although the salary cap implications of his fully guaranteed five-year, $230 million contract complicate his exit. He is likely to be sidelined for much or all of this season after suffering a second rupture of his Achilles. The Browns brought back Flacco in the offseason. They traded for Pickett, the 2022 first-round draft choice of the Pittsburgh Steelers who spent last season as Jalen Hurts's backup with the Eagles. They selected Gabriel in the third round of this year's draft. Two rounds later, they ended Sanders's plummet.
The Browns practiced in training camp with Pickett as their No. 2 quarterback, Gabriel third and Sanders fourth. But Pickett and Gabriel were plagued by hamstring injuries. Sanders started the preseason opener and thrived, then suffered an oblique injury during the joint practice last week in Philadelphia. Gabriel started the second preseason game and played reasonably well but committed two turnovers. He also created a bit of a stir by saying during an in-game sideline interview that 'there's entertainers and there's competitors,' maintaining later that he had been referring to media members and not the closely scrutinized Sanders in the entertainment category.
Teams rarely keep four quarterbacks on their season-opening roster. But, then, teams rarely use two selections in the same draft on quarterbacks. It will be interesting to see what roster moves the Browns make before the opener. And it will be interesting to see which quarterback is their starter by, say, Week 8. For now, it's Flacco.
'I don't know if I was very emotional about it,' Flacco said at a news conference Tuesday. 'But, listen, you don't take for granted opportunities in this league. Especially to get one at this point in my career is definitely special.'
The Colts made their announcement Tuesday: Steichen went with the experience of Jones over the unfulfilled-thus-far promise of Richardson.
'I think [Jones is] a veteran guy that's been around the block and seen a few things,' Steichen said at a news conference. 'And seeing how he interacts with his teammates and how they've taken to him and how he's taken to them, I think he's done a really nice job and I think the guys are excited for his opportunity.'
Jones spent six seasons with the Giants. He helped them to the playoffs in the 2022 season. But he was benched and then released at his request last year, finishing the season with the Minnesota Vikings. The Colts signed him to a one-year, $14 million contract in March.
The Colts have had a revolving door at quarterback since Andrew Luck abruptly retired just before the 2019 season, going from Jacoby Brissett to Philip Rivers to Carson Wentz to Matt Ryan. That was supposed to end when the team selected Richardson fourth in the 2023 draft. But he has yet to become a reliable starter. Injuries have played a part. And Steichen benched Richardson following an unusual incident last season in which he came out of a game for a play because he was tired.
Richardson is just 23. He has time to jump-start his NFL career. But there is reason to wonder whether that can happen in Indianapolis. Steichen's decision does not exactly suggest that he and the Colts have great faith in Richardson, with the team coming off four straight seasons without a playoff appearance and the jobs of the coach and general manager potentially at stake.
Richardson started the Colts' preseason opener in Baltimore, but he exited the game after suffering a dislocated pinkie finger on his right (throwing) hand on a first-quarter sack on which he missed a 'hot' receiver read on a Ravens blitz. By starting Jones, the Colts are giving the nod to the quarterback they appear to trust more to run and manage their offense.
'I think the behind-the-scenes stuff that people don't see with Daniel Jones is his work ethic, the way he connects with his teammates, the operational stuff,' Steichen said. 'And I think we've got a good group around him overall — our football team offensively, the weapons we have — that I feel that he can be successful in it.'