In the end, it never really felt like the Cleveland Browns were going to make any decision other than this one.
Joe Flacco will start at quarterback for the Browns in their Week 1 regular season opener against the Cincinnati Bengals in less than three weeks. That was confirmed via reports from ESPN's Adam Schefter and NFL Network's Ian Rapoport on Monday afternoon.
Cleveland signed the 40-year old signal caller early in the offseason, before the draft picks of Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel, before the trade for Kenny Pickett.
Flacco, all along, was viewed as the veteran who has been there and done that, the guy who could lead a rebuilding Browns team toward whatever a new era might look like.
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It didn't hurt that he'd made that brilliant five-game cameo off his couch at the end of the 2023 season, closing the regular season with a 4-1 mark to storm into the playoffs before a disappointing loss to the Texans.
But really, the Browns' decision to start Flacco just delays the inevitable.
This is a franchise that needs to find its long-term quarterback. Flacco, for all his charm and his big right arm, clearly cannot be that.
It's fair to start Flacco in Week 1. It ensures the rookies aren't thrown into the fire before they're ready.
But the next nine months or so will be crucial for Cleveland's QB future.
The Browns have their own first-round pick, and the Jaguars' first-round pick, in the 2026 NFL Draft, which is regarded as strong for quarterbacks even if Arch Manning stays in school (and if he declares, look out).
With those two picks, either one will be bad enough by itself to get the Browns whatever quarterback they want, or they'll be able to package them to move up for a desired QB.
That means that this time next year, there might be a hotshot rookie ready to take over.
Unless, that is, Sanders or Gabriel stakes a convincing claim.
The Browns drafted two QBs in the same year, with Gabriel at No. 94 overall (third round) and Sanders 50 picks later in the fifth round. That's not entirely unprecedented - Washington did it with RG3 and Kirk Cousins - but it's exceedingly rare.
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They can't afford to go into next season unaware of what both are capable of in the NFL regular season.
Frankly, Cleveland should probably give at least a few starts to both of them before the year is out. And if one is clicking, maybe ride that wave and see if it's for real.
For the Browns to solve their quarterback misery, they can't afford to let Flacco start too long.
Yes, it makes perfect sense for him to start Week 1. But it just kicks the can down the road a little ways.
It's inevitable that a younger quarterback will be taking the reins soon enough. The main question is whether that's a player that's already on the roster or not.
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