The Cleveland Browns are saying they might keep four quarterbacks on the roster in the regular season.
Overall, there’s been a bit of a scoffing mentality to that proclamation. It’s very hard to wrap the mind around how they can actually pull that off.
But Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio sees one way to do it.
“One potential short-term approach could be to cut (Joe) Flacco, sign him to the practice squad, and bring him up to the active roster every week,” Florio writes. “It’s the 54-man roster trick, where a vested veteran who doesn’t have to pass through waivers (until the trade deadline) plays along with the approach.”
The reason it’d to be Flacco down on the practice squad is the waiver system. If the Browns tried to pass rookies Dillon Gabriel or Shedeur Sanders down to the practice squad, they could be claimed on waivers before they get there, but Flacco’s NFL longevity eliminates that factor.
Browns coach Kevin Stefanski is a huge fan of the 40-year old Flacco. They even kind of look alike.
To make such a plan work, Cleveland would likely have to check in with Flacco to be sure it’s OK with him. If he approved, maybe they’d actually give it a shot, at least early in the season before the Browns can see how their QBs actually perform.
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It’s still a tad tricky to envision, though. NFL roster spots are so valuable. Can the Browns really keep Flacco, Sanders, Gabriel and Kenny Pickett all on board at once? In this scenario, is there really no better use of Pickett’s roster spot?
Cleveland’s defining decision might really come down to figuring out whether this is a team that can actually contend for anything or not. On paper, the Browns could struggle due to less than stellar QB play in a division with great quarterbacks.
And if the Browns aren’t good, they should prioritize time for the younger guys and for upside at other positions.
But if Cleveland isn’t ready to make that final QB determination by Week 1, Florio’s Flacco idea is one way to keep them all around.
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