What It Means Right Now
Flacco is the starter for Week 1, which gives the Browns a clear blueprint for September. The team announced it on Aug. 18, and the timing lines up with how Kevin Stefanski handled snaps the past two weeks. Veteran first, rookies on a sane runway, defense and special teams setting the floor. That is the plan.
This is also a season shaped by health. Watson sits on the PUP list while he rehabs an Achilles, which is why the room was rebuilt around Flacco, Kenny Pickett, and the two rookies. That status is not guesswork. It was reported in late July and has not changed as of today. Though Watson's play was at the bottom of the league, his contract would have allowed him to compete yet again for the starting spot, despite not earning that right.
The depth chart behind Flacco is moving due to injuries, but we have an idea as to where it currently stands. Pickett returned to practice on Aug. 1 in a limited role after a hamstring issue, then worked his way into 7-on-7, still short of full team work. That puts him on track to handle the clipboard in September if he stacks healthy days.
The team and multiple outlets have framed him as the likely No. 2, provided the hamstring holds. While that may be currently true, let's see what the Browns decide to do around the time of roster cuts, as quarterback-needy teams may be calling to acquire Pickett for cheap.