The Cleveland Browns always seem to find themselves in unique situations heading into the season, and this year, the big mystery is who will start at quarterback. Deshaun Watson will likely be sidelined for the year after re-rupturing the Achilles he tore last season, leaving the Week 1 starting job up for grabs among the remaining contenders: Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, Shedeur Sanders, and Dillon Gabriel.
Advertisement
Flacco, who led the team on an improbable playoff run in 2023, is widely expected to get the nod. Kenny Pickett hasn’t shown much potential in either Pittsburgh or Philadelphia to seriously challenge him. But what about Shedeur and Gabriel? At least the former has been turning heads during OTAs.
Still, Rich Eisen believes neither rookie will get the start right away. It’s just too risky, he says.
“Starting a rookie is really risky. I just think it’s going to be Flacco,” Eisen said on his show.
As in many cases, the veteran analyst believes the Browns should start their veteran to begin the season. He pointed to their tough early schedule, which includes three divisional opponents in the first six weeks. Eisen thinks Flacco, being a longtime Ravens QB, would put the club in the best position to compete.
“Home for Cincinnati [Bengals], at Baltimore [facing the Ravens], home for Green Bay, at Detroit [facing the Lions], Minnesota [Vikings] in London, and then at Pittsburgh [playing the Steelers],” Eisen pointed out.
“That looks like Flacco territory to me while a kid marinates,” he concluded.
Oftentimes, teams don’t want to make the mistake of rushing a rookie quarterback and risking their development. The Browns shouldn’t either, especially with tough defenses and divisional matchups to start the season. Eisen believes it’s best to rely on their most ‘adult-like’ quarterback to lead the way.
“Those first six weeks, looks to me, [should be led by] somebody who is the adult in the room, and that looks like somebody who has a grasp of an offense to the point where- okay, this is what we’re going to do to start the ship here,” Eisen said.
Eisen then suggested that if the Browns find some success with Flacco and sit at 3-3 or 4-2, the team should stick with him as their starter. But if the opposite happens and they only manage one or two wins, he believes it would be a good time to turn to one of their younger quarterbacks — either Sanders or Gabriel.
The Browns’ quarterback battle will be one to watch all summer, and it’ll be interesting to see who gets named the Week 1 starter. Who do you think will start for Cleveland?
