Pro Football Rumors
We’re two weeks into the 2025 season, and the Browns sit, once again, in the AFC North’s basement. The NFL season is long, lots can change, and head coach Kevin Stefanski understands that. That’s why, today, he told the media that he is not considering a quarterback change at the moment, according to Zac Jackson of The Athletic.
A rough start may have been expected given a brutal opening stretch of games that started with the Bengals before heading to a string of 2024 playoff squads in the Ravens, Packers, Lions, Vikings, and Steelers. With so many high-profile matchups to open up their 2025 campaign, it was clear that veteran Joe Flacco gave Cleveland its best chance at finding some victories across that gauntlet.
After several attempts throughout the offseason to land a top-tier quarterback through trade (Matthew Stafford), free agency (Russell Wilson), and the draft (Cam Ward) the Browns ended up with the stable of Flacco, Kenny Pickett, and mid-round rookies Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders. When Pickett was traded for the second time in one offseason, many assumed that Cleveland had its eyes on the 2026 quarterback draft class, which posed a couple questions for how the Browns would handle their season.
Flacco was set in place to start the season and try to win as many games as could be expected with the early playoff slate. Though Week 1 ended in a loss, Flacco cut it loose in the one-point game, throwing for 290 yards. Today’s contest in his familiar old home of Baltimore, Flacco didn’t fare nearly as well against the Ravens. In the 41-17 route, Flacco found the bench late in the fourth quarter, and Gabriel made his NFL debut.
Though, Gabriel completed all three of his pass attempts for 19 yards and a touchdown, there will be no QB controversy as a result. Flacco’s benching appeared to be more of a safety measure, as the game was clearly out of reach and there was no point in the veteran continuing to face a defense that totaled nine quarterback hits on the day.
Based on Stefanski’s comments, Flacco will be back under center to start against the Packers next Sunday. Gabriel may see time again if things get out of hand for either team, and injuries are always possible, but it’s seemingly still too early in the season to give up Flacco, who proved two years ago that he could win games in this system and take this team to the playoffs. It’s important to realize, though, that, at 40 years old, Flacco is not the future of the position in Cleveland.
If, at any point, the season gets out of hand and the playoffs fall out of reach, then it may behoove the team’s decision makers to see what they have in their rookie quarterbacks. Gabriel and/or Sanders may end up developing into difference-makers at the position given some time and experience in NFL games, and if Flacco isn’t going to deliver the...
