Joe Flacco is back with the Cleveland Browns on a one-year deal.
According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, Flacco was pursued by a few teams, but the Browns wanted to snag the free agent with a potential Kirk Cousins acquisition not seeming any closer than it was a few weeks ago. Now, the Browns roster Flacco, Kenny Pickett, and Deshaun Watson in their quarterback room.
Adding Flacco to this QB room means nothing, though, in terms of the Browns' plans in the draft. At least, it really shouldn't. This isn't 2023. Flacco isn't going to be the savior for a Cleveland offense that, in 2024, struggled to score more than 16 points per game on a good week. The team needs much better, and younger, quarterback play in 2025 to succeed long-term.
This signing means one thing: the Browns are likely not using their 2nd overall pick on a quarterback, and they're more than likely taking a quarterback late in the first round or with the first pick in the 2nd round.
Flacco's signing changes Browns draft strategy in one way
Flacco is the perfect veteran to have in the locker room as a bridge between himself and whichever rookie the team decides to draft on April 24th - because, with near certainty, the team is going to take one on Day 1.
The Super Bowl champion and 40 year old signal caller doesn't seem like the type of player to be upset if he gets benched, eventually, for a rookie he's been mentoring. He also probably wouldn't have signed a new deal if he didn't know he'd be a mentor to a rookie quarterback this coming season. The one-year deal makes that pretty clear.
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He was not great in 2024 with the Indianapolis Colts, where he finished up his season there with 12 touchdowns and seven interceptions in addition to 1,761 passing yards. He played just eight games with the Colts as he acted in relief of Anthony Richardson throughout the year.
In Flacco, the Browns might be hoping to get a few decent starts while they wait for their rookie-to-be-named-later to be ready to start over him. If they're that concerned over this person's readiness, it just seems to indicate that they're not aiming for a player like Shedeur Sanders in the first round, but more likely someone like Jalen Milroe or Jaxson Dart, instead.