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Joe Flacco is the Week 1 starter for the Cleveland Browns. That’s official. Head coach Kevin Stefanski stood at the podium on August 19 and said the veteran “earned it.” But around Berea, not everyone is convinced. The veteran didn’t so much steal the job as inherit it, and that’s where the debate begins.
Back in the spring, Stefanski announced a four-man quarterback competition. Fans were promised a wide-open battle between Flacco, Kenny Pickett, rookie Shedeur Sanders, and fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel. On paper, it sounded like a genuine contest. On the field, though? It never really played out that way.
Joe Flacco thinks beating Sanders for the Browns starting quarterback job is business as usual
Sanders Stuck on the Sidelines
From the jump, Sanders was a bystander more than a contender. According to camp observers, Pickett soaked up most of the first-team work on Day 1, and by Day 2, Flacco had jumped into the mix. Sanders was mostly rotating with the third unit, rarely getting the stage that a “competition” would suggest. Injuries only deepened the divide: Pickett’s hamstring, Gabriel’s leg issue, and Sanders’ own oblique strain pushed more snaps toward Flacco.
So, did he truly “win” the job? Or was he simply the healthiest quarterback left standing? That’s where local insiders started raising questions.
Anthony Lima of 92.3 The Fan flat-out called the setup unfair. “This was not a fair quarterback competition,” he said. “Don’t ever confuse this as an actual chance to win a starting job.” His co-host Ken Carman agreed, suggesting that Stefanski sold fans a narrative that was never real.
The “Competition” That Never Was
If Stefanski had said from the start that the real battle was between Pickett and Flacco, fans might have accepted it. Instead, the promise of a four-way race felt misleading, especially for those hoping Sanders could make a splash in his first camp.
The situation highlights the Browns’ bigger dilemma: balancing development with winning now. As ESPN’s Jake Trotter noted this offseason, the Browns are under pressure to deliver immediate results, which makes it harder to justify giving rookies extended chances to grow. That approach may be practical, but it’s not exactly transparent.
For Sanders, it’s a tough introduction to the NFL. Drafted amid hype that he could be the Browns’ quarterback of the future, he barely saw meaningful action with the starters. Instead of getting a fair look, he became an afterthought.
What Comes Next
Flacco’s grip on the job isn’t ironclad. At 39, he’s steady but not built for the long haul. If the Browns’ offense struggles early, the calls to see Sanders or Gabriel will grow louder. For now, though, Cleveland is riding with the veteran, even if the path to naming him QB1 looked more like process of elimination than genuine competition.
The Browns claim they’ve chosen their guy. The fans, and some insiders, believe the real story is who never got the chance.
This news was originally published on this post .
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