Steelers Now
The Cleveland Browns have named 40-year-old veteran Joe Flacco their starting quarterback for the team’s Week 1 game against the Cincinnati Bengals, the team announced on Monday, pushing former Steelers starter Kenny Pickett to the bench.
Flacco spent the end of the 2023 season with the Browns, joining the team after multiple injuries at the quarterback position, making five starts and leading the team to a 4-1 record and a playoff berth.
He signed with the Indianapolis Colts last year, playing in eight games and making six starts in relief of Anthony Richardson, including a relief win over the Steelers in Week 4.
With Deshaun Watson still dealing with a Achilles injury, the Browns traded for Pickett from the Philadelphia Eagles in March, but then went ahead and signed Flacco to a free-agent contract in April, setting up a competition between the two former AFC North starters.
That competition got even messier when the Browns used two picks on quarterbacks at the 2025 NFL Draft, taking Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel in the third round and Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders in the fifth round.
All of Pickett, Gabriel and Sanders have dealt with injuries during the preseason and training camp, causing the team to sign veteran backup Tyler Huntley. Neither Flacco nor Pickett participated in a preseason game.
Gabriel (13 of 18 for 143 yards, one interception) and Sanders (14 of 23 for 138 yards, two touchdowns), have both played in the preseason, along with Huntley.
The move is another fall from grace for the former Steelers’ first-round pick and Pitt product. He requested a trade from the Steelers last offseason after the team signed Russell Wilson, and was sent to the Philadelphia Eagles, where he played sparingly as a backup on a Super Bowl-winning team.
The move to Cleveland appeared to be a chance for him to get more consistent playing time, but now he’ll be behind the 40-year-old Flacco in the pecking order entering the season.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Kenny Pickett Loses Browns Starting QB Competition to Joe Flacco
