CLEVELAND, Ohio — When the
Cleveland Browns
traded for Kenny Pickett earlier this offseason, the narrative seemed clear: the former first-round pick was brought in to be the presumptive Week 1 starter, with Joe Flacco, signed a month later, serving as the veteran backup. Fast forward through spring practices, and that presumption has been dramatically flipped on its head.
What happened? Simply put, Joe Flacco happened.
The veteran quarterback, who initially wasn’t even in the Browns’ plans, has surged up the depth chart with his commanding presence and complete mastery of the offensive system. What began as an afterthought signing a month into free agency has evolved into a legitimate quarterback battle that has coaches, analysts, and teammates taking notice.
“I believe that this is like child’s play for Joe Flacco. He knows this offense like the back of his hand. He’s got a head start. The coaches know him. He excels in this kind of an offense,” noted Browns beat reporter Mary Kay Cabot on the
Orange and Brown Talk podcast
, expressing how Flacco’s familiarity with the system gives him a significant edge.
While Kenny Pickett continues learning the Browns’ west coast offense — still grappling with terminology, under-center operations, and the finer points of the scheme — Flacco has been operating at full speed from day one.
“But when I watched them operate, when I heard them talk, when I heard the coaches talk about them, I think Joe brought himself up a little bit in the competition,” Cabot observed. “Not by all of the things that he did on a down for down basis because he didn’t have to do that much, but even just in the few reps that he was given, you can just see the lights are so on for him.”
This quarterback competition has evolved from what many assumed would be Pickett’s job to lose into a legitimate battle where Flacco’s veteran presence and system knowledge might give him the upper hand. The contrast is stark: Pickett brings mobility and athleticism, while Flacco offers precision passing and deep-ball accuracy that made Cleveland’s offense explosive late in 2023.
The implications extend beyond just who takes the first snap in Week 1. Starting Flacco could provide a natural progression plan if needed.
“It would probably be a lot easier to go from Joe Flacco to Kenny Pickett than to have to go from Kenny Pickett to Joe Flacco,” Cabot explained. “If Kenny Pickett goes out there and struggles and Joe Flacco is on the sidelines or on the bench, that’s going to be very difficult to navigate.”
With training camp approaching, all eyes will be on this unexpected quarterback battle. Will Pickett demonstrate the command and playmaking ability that made him a first-round pick? Or will Flacco’s system mastery and veteran presence win out?
Either way, what once seemed like a foregone conclusion has become one of the most intriguing quarterback competitions in the NFL. To hear the full analysis and more insights on how this battle could play out, check out the latest episode of the Orange and Brown Talk podcast where they break down every angle of this developing quarterback situation.
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Note: Artificial intelligence was used to help generate this story from the Cleveland Orange and Brown Talk Podcast by cleveland.com. Visitors to cleveland.com have asked for more text stories based on website podcast discussions.
