Latest news with #JoeFlacco
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Shedeur Sanders Faces Dire Warning About Making Browns' Final Roster
Shedeur Sanders Faces Dire Warning About Making Browns' Final Roster originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Shedeur Sanders has earned some good grades for his performances at Cleveland Browns' OTAs, but one insider believes it may not be enough to earn him a spot on the final roster. Advertisement Sanders came to the Browns as a fifth-round pick after a big tumble down the NFL draft board. The former Colorado quarterback was once projected as a Top 5 pick, but took an unexpected slide before finally landing in Cleveland with the No. 144 overall pick. As reporter Brad Crawford of CBS Sports noted, Sanders now faces an uphill battle to earn a spot on the final roster in Cleveland. "It's a number game for Sanders, who's at the bottom of the quarterback pecking order within a crowded room going against an obvious frontrunner, a veteran and another rookie," Crawford wrote. "With an unknown ceiling and light acquisition cost as a fifth-round pick, the Browns -- frankly -- aren't sure yet what they have in Sanders and need to see more." Crawford added that the Browns had enough faith in Sanders to take him in the fifth round, even after adding another rookie in Dillon Gabriel, but Browns general manager Andrew Berry did not plan to draft Sanders. Advertisement But Berry also noted there were pressures facing the other Browns quarterbacks, including veteran Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett. The team could likely have the chance to put Sanders through to the practice squad, which could give the team more time to evaluate and potentially bring him to the active roster later in the season. Related: Browns Address How Shedeur Questions Could 'Divide' the Team This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on May 31, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Browns take the field for second day of OTAs; check out the sights and sounds
The Cleveland Browns are now two days into OTAs, and it's good to see the orange helmets back on the field again, even if it's without pads. This season will be one with many storylines to follow. None will be more important than the wide-open quarterback battle that will take place between Kenny Pickett, Joe Flacco, Dillon Gabriel, and Shedeur Sanders. The Browns are dividing their reps in OTAs now, and head coach Kevin Stefanski has told the media not to be too concerned about the split. Advertisement Sanders did connect on a beautiful touchdown pass in the session, but that was far from the only highlight. In addition to the quarterback battle, following how the young players on the roster settle into their roles as they look to either solidify their mark or prove to the team they are high-caliber players will be another storyline to watch. Offensive tackle Dawand Jones and wide receiver Cedric Tillman enter a make-or-break season, youngsters Mason Graham and Carson Schwesinger will have an opportunity to make a Day 1 impact, and more. It may not be an overly competitive season for the Browns as they continue to recover from the Deshaun Watson debacle. However, that does not mean there will not be elements of the season that can serve as a building block toward a stronger foundation. Those are going to be the key storylines to watch. And that all starts with OTAs. Advertisement So what did you miss from Wednesday's session? Luckily, it was open to the media, so there are gobs of highlight reels and social media blasts from the second OTA practice. And that's where we come in. Here are the best sights and sounds from Wednesday's session: This article originally appeared on Browns Wire: Sights and sounds from Day 2 of Browns OTAs
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Browns QB Joe Flacco insists he's not a mentor at OTAs
The Cleveland Browns have a crowded quarterback room. While the group tries to tiptoe around the fact, they end up stepping on each other's toes. The veteran in the room, Joe Flacco, was the latest to stumble through an interview. Flacco spoke to the media after the second day of OTAs. Flacco was asked to elaborate on his least favorite question: his role as a mentor for rookie quarterbacks. He gave a long and thoughtful answer. Flacco draws issue with how the question is phrased. He believes it can be divisive and used for clickbait. At every stop, Flacco has been adamant that it's not his role, or the role of the backup quarterback, to mentor a rookie. He believes they help rookies prepare for the NFL, they're not holding their hand and walking them through every concept. Flacco has been haunted by the question since the Baltimore Ravens drafted Lamar Jackson in 2018. Flacco faced the question in Denver with Drew Lock, in New York with Zach Wilson, in Philadelphia with Jalen Hurts, and in Indianapolis with Anthony Richardson. He's worked with a lot of young quarterbacks in the recent past, and they've all publicly appreciated the guidance he's provided. Advertisement Flacco has his priorities in the correct order. He's going to be battling for the Browns' starting job. He's the team's best hope for a capable offense. Flacco needs to focus on the team, not the rookies. This article originally appeared on Browns Wire: Joe Flacco focuses on starting not mentoring
Fox News
a day ago
- General
- Fox News
Joe Flacco gave 'ridiculous answer' on mentoring young Browns QBs, former teammate says
Joe Flacco is keeping it real. The 40-year-old is, by far, the oldest of five quarterbacks on the Cleveland Browns, two of whom are rookies Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders. However, he was brutally honest when he was asked about mentoring the younger quarterbacks in the room, who include Deshaun Watson and Kenny Pickett. "If I say, 'I don't want to be a mentor,' I look bad. If I say, 'I do want to be a mentor,' I look like an idiot that doesn't care about being good and playing football, . . ." Flacco told reporters on Thursday. "I tend to try to be honest. And I've said, 'I'm not a mentor; I play football.' And in a quarterback room… there have been a ton of times where there have been learning experiences, and I have a lot of experience. And I can talk on things. And, hopefully, they listen. But it's not necessarily my job to make sure they listen to me. Hopefully, you have a really good relationship with the guys that are in the room. And you naturally want to do that." But it goes without saying that the long-term, and maybe even the short-term, futures for the Browns do not include Flacco - and one of his former Baltimore Ravens teammates took offense at Flacco's comments. "Mentoring a young player is only going to make that player better, which makes the team better," Chris Canty Friday on ESPN's "Unsportsmanlike." "You're only as strong as your weakest link. The whole point of the exercise is that everybody makes everyone better. That's why you practice. You're making each other better. It's what you're supposed to do. You do that with the reps on the practice field, but you also do that by sharing points and notes in the film room." "It's a ridiculous answer from Joe Flacco. There's no guarantee Joe Flacco is going to be healthy for 17 games, especially at 40 years old." Flacco is in his second stint with Cleveland, having played for them in the 2023 season. He won the AP Comeback Player of the Year Award after throwing for 1,616 yards and 13 touchdowns in five games where he went 4-1. Canty and Flacco spent three years together in Baltimore, where the quarterback spent his first 11 NFL seasons. Canty's Baltimore stint came after he spent four years with both the Cowboys and Giants, the latter of whom he won a Super Bowl with. The 2025 season will be Flacco's 18th. Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Cleveland Browns insider reveals how Shedeur Sanders is really doing so far
With the Cleveland Browns needing to clear a logjam at quarterback, one team insider believes that there may already be one signal caller the Browns may be moving on from. Cleveland currently has five quarterbacks on its roster and will need to trim that list down to three by the time the season starts. While Deshaun Watson is injured, that leaves a battle for the remaining two spots between veterans Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett as well as rookies Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders. As early offseason practices have already gotten underway, one NFL insider believes that there's already one signal caller who is set to be axed from the team. Zac Jackson of The Athletic spoke to the Ultimate Cleveland Sports Show about the talent level of Sanders, who fell down draft boards to be selected in the fifth round. Despite being picked two rounds later than Gabriel, Jackson already believes that Sanders has him beat. 🔥 Top Browns QB. Joe & Shedeur. Leading QBs at OTA "I watch him he is talented. I don't see the other guy impressing at all. He does not look like an NFL QB. Joe & Shedeur 100%" 📽️ @ultCLEsports — JaKi 🇺🇸 (@JaKiTruth) May 29, 2025 Jackson made it clear that Sanders was making noise, stating, 'I watch him. He is talented. I hear things, he's handling things well. We'll see... He's gonna have to win every single day in the meetings, in the asking questions, in the practices, just to earn more chances.' While Jackson believes that Sanders is capable of meeting that challenge, he doesn't think the same of Gabriel, referring to him as 'the other guy': 'I don't see the other guy impressing at all, and I'm not trying to be personal with him. 'He does not look like an NFL quarterback and 31 other draft rooms didn't think he was a second-day pick. So he's gonna have to earn those too.' Jackson also believes that Joe Flacco will start, but predicted that Sanders may end up being the second-string quarterback. Flacco has history with the team and, despite being 40-years-old, will have the maturity and experience to be handed the start in Week 1. Sanders, meanwhile, has plenty of growing and developing ahead of him and could emerge as a valuable member of the Browns going forward.
