The Cleveland Browns’ quarterback situation was one of the hottest topics of the offseason, mainly because they selected Shedeur Sanders in the fifth round of the NFL Draft.
Sanders battled against Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett and fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel in training camp and preseason and was ultimately named the Browns’ third-string quarterback. Flacco was named the starter, Pickett was traded and Gabriel was awarded the backup role.
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While Sanders is obviously the biggest attention-grabber, all eyes will be on Flacco against the Cincinnati Bengals in the Browns’ season opener on Sunday.
Flacco famously led Cleveland to Cleveland in 2023, winning the Comeback Player of the Year award for his efforts. After spending a year with the Indianapolis Colts, the 40-year-old has re-joined the Browns for another run.
But what should we expect from Flacco right off the bat? Will he make Cleveland fans yearn for one of their rookies? Or will he actually impress?
Marcas Grant of NFL.com expects the latter and is anticipating a big game from Flacco in his 2025 debut, specifically projecting him to be a top-10 fantasy quarterback in Week 1.
“Let’s start the season off with some spice! We know the Bengals offense can score. We know the Bengals defense struggles to prevent scoring. That adds up to the potential for a track meet in Cleveland,” Grant wrote. “The last time Joe Flacco donned brown (orange?), he threw it more than 40 times per game. If this game turns into an up-and-down affair, Flacco could be the surprise of Week 1.”
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Flacco proved last season that he still has something left in the tank, throwing for 1,761 yards, 12 touchdowns and seven interceptions while completing 65.3 percent of his passes in eight games and six starts for the Colts. That was certainly better than anything any of the other Browns quarterbacks offered in 2024.
Nevertheless, Flacco is now another year older, so it will be interesting to see what he brings to the table this fall…and for how long he can keep his job.
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