ClutchPoints
The Cleveland Browns are trying to rebound and get back to their 2023-24 form after a very disappointing year last season, but they have big questions and a lot of things to figure out before this season gets underway.
The biggest question starts at quarterback, where you can no longer count the number of signal callers in Cleveland on one hand. Joe Flacco seems to be the favorite to be the Week 1 starter at the moment, but given the way the Browns handled the NFL Draft and then have continued to add players to that room, anything can happen.
Regardless of who starts under center, the offense will still be a work in progress with a shallow receiver room and an aging offensive line that has dealt with some injury problems in recent years. The defense, however, has a chance to be very good again after bringing back a lot of pieces from some of its best units over the last few years.
The injury to Martin Emerson, which ends his season before it even starts, hurts a lot, but Cleveland still has the talent to overcome it.
The Browns knocked off the Carolina Panthers in their first preseason game, and now they are getting ready to take on the Philadelphia Eagles in the second of three tune-ups before the regular season. Not much changed on the depth chart for Week 2 of the preseason, but that could still change before Week 1. Here are three starters on the current depth chart that could still get surpassed before too long.
The Browns arguably have the weirdest — and certainly have the most crowded — quarterback situation in the NFL coming into the season, and Joe Flacco’s position at the top felt very tenuous. It would be a big surprise if Flacco isn’t the Week 1 starter, but it would also be quite the stunner if he lasts longer than the first six games under center.
That would mean the Browns are having a lot of team success, which feels unlikely. For a team that is primarily rebuilding, Stefanski and his staff are likely to try to see what they have in their young quarterbacks, along with trade acquisition Kenny Pickett, to see if they have a franchise quarterback in the building or if they need to continue to try to draft one. At his age, Flacco is clearly not that guy, so it wouldn’t make much sense to play him deep into the year if the Browns aren’t winning games.
Unfortunately for Cleveland, the quarterback situation has already taken a big hit during the preseason. Both Pickett and third-round pick Dillon Gabriel are dealing with hamstring injuries and missed the first preseason game against the Panthers. Then, fifth-round pick Shedeur Sanders suffered an oblique injury during practice in the lead-up to the second preseason game and may not play on Saturday.
That has led the Browns to bring in Tyler Huntley for the preseason, and...
