The AFC North is in woeful shape. Every club has a negative point differential through Week 5. The 3-1 Steelers sit atop the division and haven’t exactly looked like world-beaters (-2 point differential). At 2-3, Cincinnati is still within reach. If Flacco can keep the Bengals afloat in hopes that Burrow can return for the stretch run, it’s a shot worth taking.
The Bengals take on Green Bay in Week 6. Flacco helped lead the Browns to a win over the Packers in Week 3. This time around, he won’t have the Cleveland defense there to aid a miraculous comeback, however.
Cincinnati also released QBs Brett Rypien and Mike White on Tuesday.
What does the trade mean for Cleveland?
Head coach Kevin Stefanski is going with an all-rookie QB setup.
The Browns’ quarterback room began with Kenny Pickett and Flacco before Cleveland drafted Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders. Now, both veterans have been shipped out of town.
Benching Flacco for Gabriel in Week 5 was the first indicator that the Browns were going to find out what they have in their rookies. Trading Flacco highlights the plan in bold.
In his first start, Gabriel tossed two TD passes while completing 57.6% of 33 attempts and didn’t turn the ball over. It was mostly a dink-and-dunk operation, but the rookie didn’t seem too overwhelmed for the moment. His mobility also gives the Browns a more lively operation. The hope in Cleveland is that the third-round pick can build on his initial outing as the season progresses.
Upon making the quarterback change, there was some criticism of keeping Sanders as QB3 behind Flacco. Now that the impediment is gone. The fifth-round pick will move into the backup role. If Gabriel stumbles as defenses get more tape, he could get a shot at starting.
At 1-4, the Browns are already at the point where they need to evaluate both rookie signal-callers to see where they stand for the future. No longer having Flacco in the room eliminates any temptation that might have otherwise presented itself.
Oh, and we should also mention that Deshaun Watson remains in Cleveland rehabbing his latest Achilles injury, though it is unlikely he plays this season.