Dawgs By Nature
The Cleveland Browns begin the 2025 NFL season at home against the Cincinnati Bengals on September 7. That is less than two weeks to prepare for their first opponent.
In training camp this year, the Browns employed six quarterbacks: Deshaun Watson, Joe
Flacco, Kenny Pickett, Dillon Gabriel, Shedeur Sanders, and Tyler Huntley. Flacco and Pickett own Super Bowl rings. Watson and Huntley have Pro Bowl hardware.
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Because of ongoing health and rehab situations, Watson was placed on the PUP list. Flacco was then named the season starter while Pickett, Gabriel, and Sanders all had some sort of camp ailment, which limited either preseason game snaps or practice reps.
During the off-season, the plan seemed to be for Flacco to start, Pickett to become the experienced backup, which would afford both Gabriel and Sanders time to learn and develop. Pretty good strategy.
Gabriel, Sanders, and Huntley played quite a bit in the preseason, while Pickett didn’t take a snap since he was still nursing a hamstring issue. Flacco only played a couple of series in the final exhibition game against the Los Angeles Rams.
Since the Rams contest, Huntley has been released. On Monday, Pickett was traded to the Las Vegas Raiders for a future Day 3 draft pick. That leaves the veteran Flacco and the two rookies.
A better plan? Or a decision that could cripple this Cleveland offense?
If nothing else, Flacco is very durable. He is entering his 18th year after being selected in Round 1 of the 2008 NFL draft by the Baltimore Ravens. He has thrown for almost 46,000 yards and tossed 257 touchdowns.
His injury history: 2013 – sprained left MCL, played the following game; 2015 – tore his left ACL and MCL in Week 11, had surgery, placed on IR, missed five games, started Week 1 following season; 2017 – Back vertebral disc hernia Grade 1, missed all of August training camp, started Week 1; 2017 – minor concussion, did not miss any games; 2018 – Inguinal hip sprain, no surgery, missed seven games; 2019 – neck injury, did not miss games; 2019 – cervical spine disc hernia Grade 1, placed on IR, missed eight games.
That’s 20 total games in 17 seasons missed because of assorted ailments, which is a very short list. So, he is durable and rarely is hurt enough to not suit up and play.
However, he could become injured, right? Can’t every single player that steps onto the turf, at any minute, in any game? Even during a practice session like MJ Emerson this year?
That’s not calling jinx, that is just the facts of the game. It is violent, it is rough, it is played by guys in the prime of their athletic lives and in the best shape of their young existence. They run and work out all year long, whereas long ago, players had a second job in the off-season, ate what they wanted, and rarely did anything strenuous until...
