The Cleveland Browns’ four-way quarterback battle for the Week 1 starting job has seemingly been decided. As it turns out, it seems the position battle was never truly that close to begin with.
Per the team, Joe Flacco will line up under center as the Browns’ starter in Week 1 against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Per NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, Flacco never really saw much competition for starting duties. However, it did seem like the Browns had plenty of competition for the lead job. While Deshaun Watson continues to rehab a torn Achilles suffered last season, Cleveland added Kenny Pickett via trade before drafting both Heisman Trophy finalist Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders this past offseason alone.
However, the veteran of the group emerged in the end to lead the way. This marks Flacco’s second stint with the Browns after he started five games for the team in 2023, completing 60.3% of his passes for 1,616 yards and 13 touchdowns, though he did toss eight interceptions as well. Still, the now-40-year-old led Cleveland to a playoff appearance to end that campaign and now brings plenty of experience to a unit in desperate need of a steady presence under center as they undergo a re-tool this season.
The Browns open the 2025 NFL regular season at home against the Bengals on September 7. Cleveland enters as a 5.5-point underdog with +195 Moneyline odds on DraftKings Sportsbook. The game total sits at 45.5 points for the showdown between Cincinnati gunslinger Joe Burrow and Flacco, who brought a high-volume approach during his last stint with the team.
It may still end up a tough season for the Browns, though. The team went just 3-14 last year and sees a 2025 win total of 5.5 with -140 odds to go under that mark. With expectations low, it wouldn’t be shocking in the least to see the franchise turn toward one of their younger arms later in the season and hand over starting duties to their third-round pick in Gabriel or fifth-round selection in Sanders.
