With Cleveland's season unlikely to materialize into meaningful games down the stretch, the Browns moved Joe Flacco to the Bengals midseason after going to Dillon Gabriel. Although quarterback trades in division are extremely rare, Cleveland saw an opportunity to get an upgraded asset for a player who was set to ride the bench and leave/retire after the season.
Mike Tomlin wasn't shy when expressing his displeasure with the Browns' trade, and we see why now. Flacco torched Pittsburgh's defense on the short turnaround in Week 7, going for 342 yards on 47 attempts in a 33-31 upset win to get their season back on track.
Joe Flacco's TNF performance highlights Browns' need for physical receiver
While in Cleveland, the Browns didn't ask Flacco to do much and wanted him to focus on protecting the ball to play to the strengths of their team, the defense. In Cincinnati, the Bengals aren't known for their run game and have a struggling defense, so Flacco was brought in to lead the part of the offense that typically carries the team - the passing offense.
Flacco was able to tap back into his gunslinger mindset and away from his game-manager style we saw in Cleveland for two main reasons - Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins (targeted on 33 of Flacco's 47 attempts). Jerry Jeudy is a nice receiver for the Browns, but his success comes from route running and yards after the catch, which can't be utilized easily unless protection gives enough time to let the play develop.
It's apparent the Browns need more receiving playmakers, and specifically, guys who are physical at the point of attack and can win jump balls. Seemingly every week, the Browns have been torched by this archetype of a receiver, where the team has five or more plays a game just throwing it up the sideline to see if he can make a play. Jeudy is talented, but he is not the type of receiver (like Amari Cooper) who can win aggressive catches up the sideline.
Because of their tremendous receiving talent and need for someone to air it out, Flacco was always a perfect fit for Cincinnati. The Browns' offense was not fit for a quarterback of his style with all their weaknesses, and it's presenting clear areas of improvement going forward.