3 pending free agents Browns should retain and 2 they should not

Browns should not retain: Joe Flacco, QB

There wasn't a better story down the stretch of the season than the one surrounding Joe Flacco. The 38-year-old quarterback was out of the league until November when the Browns brought him in. Originally expected to backup Dorian Thompson-Robinson, Flacco was pressed into action when the rookie suffered a concussion.

Flacco and the Browns lost his first start against the Los Angeles Rams but then they took off. The veteran quarterback led his team to four wins in a row and was lighting up the scoreboard in the process. In five games, Flacco had 1,616 yards passing with 13 touchdowns.

As good as he was for this offense, Flacco had a "fatal flaw" that wound up costing them in a huge way in the playoffs. During his five games, Flacco had eight interceptions and never had a game without a turnover. Against the Houston Texans, he threw two picks to start the third quarter — and each was returned for a touchdown.

Cleveland was trailing before the picks but the turnovers put it out of reach. Now looking ahead, the Browns are expecting Deshaun Watson to return and will have DTR as his No. 2. Bringing back Flacco shouldn't be in the cards since it could wind up being a distraction. Fans loved him and at the first sign of trouble from Watson, Flacco will become the most popular man in northeast Ohio.

The Browns can find another backup to compete with DTR if they're not sold on him in this role but at this point, keeping Flacco might be more trouble than it's worth.