Browns name Joe Flacco Week 1 starter - but how long will he last?
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The Cleveland Browns today named Joe Flacco.
He's a man, he's 40 as their starting quarterback, not just for a dress rehearsal.
This coming Saturday, a 1 o'clock matinee at Huntington Bank Field against the Rams, in which Sean McVay will play nobody.
He might even sign guys off the street to take Rams jerseys and to keep his guys healthy.
So Joy, it is Joe Flacco, who took the Browns to the playoffs down the stretch in 2023, who doesn't just win by default.
He wins because right now he's the best guy.
Absolutely.
And I think even before these injuries, this always seemed like the most likely outcome week one to me.
I mean, Andrew, you and I saw each other at the Browns during mini camp before the summer break, before training camp.
And to me, I left there thinking this is not a 4-way quarterback battle.
This is 2 2-way quarterback battles.
There is the veteran battle for week one and there is the rookie battle of, hey, who is most likely to be the one who gets a chance later in.
The season if they decide to go from when now mode to, let's develop and plan for the future and determine if our guy's in-house mode.
And I think that when I asked so many people around Cleveland, everyone from general manager Andrew Berry to head coach Kevin Stefanski, offensive coordinator Tommy Reese, what they were aligned on is the idea that their week one starter would be decided based on who is best able to operate the offense and make smart decisions.
I think we, you know, we always talk about two things could be true as Joe Flacco is their best quarterback and also that is a sad statement for the Cleveland Browns because we saw Joe Flacco last year.
The Colts tried to bench Anthony Richardson to say we need some time with Anthony.
They watched two weeks of Flacco and they're like, Oh, we can't do this either.
So anyway, that's your Browns starting quarterback in week one, Huzzah, and it just, it's, it's just, it, and also, yes, you're right, you can't put a guy out there when he's not ready.
You can't put out the worst quarterback, but it also worked kind of both ways for Cleveland.
We've talked all the time about their first 6 games, 1 and 5 wouldn't even be that bad of an outcome.
0 and 6 is on the table for them.
It's an absolutely brutal start to the season.
So you get through those six games, probably at some point in those six games or right after.
Flacco gets benched, you go on to the next guy, and then you probably go on to the next.
I'm full.
I'll say this: I've said it.
Four quarterbacks are going to start for the Cleveland Browns this year.
I don't know when exactly Kenny Pickett's going to take over, and Dorian Thompson-Robinson's gonna take over, Shadoor's gonna take over, but I do believe all four quarterbacks will at least start one game this year, because I think you're going to want to get a look at both rookies, but I think can you pick a second line?
I don't think Joe Flacco is making the season.
It's just a mess in Cleveland.
Look, their starting quarterback for 2026 is going to be playing on Saturdays this year, okay, like that.
None of these guys are going to end up being the answer.
Much less Joe Flacco.
I think the biggest question is at what point do you say we need to see the kids, and then which of the young quarterbacks is the first one up?
If you believe depth charts, and I don't put a lot of stock in them right now, it is still Gabriel three and Sanders four.
That could change, right?
They both played well, and by the way, it's not a binary decision.
Browns fans, it is okay to say that both Shadoor Sanders and Dorian Gabriel played well.
Like I I don't have to pick right now.
They both played well.
And if you're one of those fans out there that is screaming, this one's good and that one's awful, whichever one, you're probably not a Browns fan.
You're probably a fan of one of those two quarterbacks from college, and you're just rooting.
But I digress.
Eventually, and Jimmy Haslam has said this, you're gonna have to see what you have.
The question is when.
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