The Browns are going back to Joe Flacco to start the year after his magical run in 2023 as the bridge option with two rookie quarterbacks in the room. During his five starts with Cleveland in that regular season, Cleveland won every game after his debut against the Rams en route to an 11-win finish and a postseason berth.
While most Browns fans can't wait for the feel-good veteran to get back under center, PFF's John Kosko thinks his lack of mobility, combined with the Browns' offensive line, could be his downfall in 2025.
PFF thinks Joe Flacco's lack of mobility could lead to his downfall in 2025
Kosko named one kryptonite for every Week 1 starter, and he believes the 40-year-old's traditional pocket passing style isn't a good mix with the Browns' offensive line. He cited Cleveland's poor pass-blocking stats from a year ago, along with Flacco's underwhelming numbers under pressure as reason for concern.
"The Browns’ offensive line earned a 60.8 PFF pass-blocking grade in 2024, ranking sixth worst, and allowed the second-most pressures in the league (240). Combine that with Flacco’s 48.0 passer rating under pressure across the past two years, and it spells a potential disaster in Cleveland."PFF's John Kosko
These two points don't seem to go hand in hand, but it would be remiss not to mention the context. For starters, the offensive line's life becomes much simpler with Flacco instead of Deshaun Watson or Dorian Thompson-Robinson, since the mobile quarterbacks' constant improvisation makes it harder for the line to secure an area to protect the passer.
On top of that, the Browns' offensive line was so depleted in 2023 that Geron Christian and James Hudson were the starting tackles for that run where they put up less than a 50 PFF pass block grade in those five games.
The logic on the surface makes sense, but Flacco has never been a plus athlete as a runner, and that hasn't stopped him from finding success throughout his 17 years in the league. Ultimately, if the offensive line can create strong enough pockets and the veteran can limit the turnovers, it could be another recipe for success like the last run together.