The Browns added much-needed quarterback depth on Friday, signing Joe Flacco to a one-year, $4 million deal per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The veteran can earn up to $13 million in incentives.
By bringing aboard a proven passer, Cleveland adds depth to one of the NFL’s thinnest quarterback rooms. Right now, the only other signal callers on the roster are Deshaun Watson and Kenny Pickett. The former has been an abject failure since joining the Browns three years ago. Among players with at least ten starts since 2022, the former Pro Bowler has the NFL’s tenth-worst passer rating (80.7).
One of the few QBs to post a worse mark on that list is none other than Pickett (79.3). The former first round pick didn’t work out for the Steelers. However, he did pick up a championship last season as Jalen Hurts’ backup with the Eagles. In Pickett’s one start with Philadelphia, he threw for 143 yards and a touchdown against the Cowboys. Cleveland traded for the 26-year-old in March.
Flacco has established himself as one of the NFL’s best backup quarterbacks. The former Super Bowl MVP has played on four different teams since leaving the Ravens in 2019, including a previous stint with the Browns in 2023. During that campaign, the 40-year-old tossed for a whopping 323.0 yards per game over five outings as a starter. Flacco went on to win that season’s Comeback Player of the Year award.
As things stand right now, this is one of the NFL’s murkiest quarterback situations. Based on salary and pedigree, Watson would be viewed as the favorite to win the starting job. However, an Achilles injury has raised doubts over the 29-year-old’s availability going into the 2025-26 season. In addition, team owner Jimmy Haslam recently called the trade for Watson “a big swing and a miss.”
Cleveland is a threat to take Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders with the second overall pick in the NFL Draft. However, assuming the team goes in a different direction, this will be a training camp battle between Pickett and Flacco. Considering the Browns went out of their way to acquire the former, they must believe he has untapped potential. Keeping that in mind, don’t be shocked if the former top prospect is given the inside track to win this job.
Should Pickett struggle early, a coaching staff that won three games last season can’t afford to be complacent. If nothing else, Flacco is a terrific insurance policy that can play competent football when called upon. It also helps that he’s a true gunslinger, capable of feeding Cleveland’s top pass catchers. For fantasy football and DFS purposes, a move to the veteran could boost several Browns receivers.
Cleveland has +3000 odds of winning the AFC North on DraftKings Sportsbook. Colorado’s Travis Hunter is the current favorite (-300) to be selected with the second overall pick in the NFL Draft.
