BEREA, Ohio — At 40 years previous, Joe Flacco is by far the elder statesman within the Cleveland Browns’ quarterback room.
Flacco, although, reiterated that he’s not trying to take a backseat and mentor the workforce’s younger passers however lead by instance in an try to win the quarterback competitors.
“It is not likely about that. It is simply not the principle focus,” Flacco mentioned Wednesday after the Browns’ second OTA follow. “I see myself as a man that may play on this league. So, in case your essential focus was identical to, hey, however I will get you prepared, you are simply not taking good care of enterprise. One of the simplest ways to be a mentor, actually, is to indicate folks the way you go to work and like I mentioned, hope that they decide up on that stuff, however not essentially pressure them to select up on the issues that you simply do.”
Flacco is considered one of 4 wholesome quarterbacks, together with 2020 first-round decide Kenny Pickett and rookies Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders, who’re vying for the Browns’ beginning job. Deshaun Watson stays sidelined by a proper Achilles harm that the workforce has mentioned will price him a good portion of the 2025 season.
In April, Flacco signed a one-year deal value $4 million to return to Cleveland, the place he received the NFL’s Comeback Participant of the Yr award in 2023 and helped lead the Browns to the playoffs after being signed late into the season. Flacco spent the 2024 season with the Indianapolis Colts and went 2-4 as a starter.
“Joe bodily has been gifted with the flexibility to throw the soccer. He appears the identical to me,” coach Kevin Stefanski mentioned. “… It is simply enjoyable having some veterans in that room, some younger guys within the quarterback room. They actually feed off of one another. And definitely, Joe has lots to elucidate to the fellows or a whole lot of knowledge to impart on these guys of issues which have come up in his profession.”
Throughout Wednesday’s follow, Flacco break up first-team reps in workforce drills with Pickett. The 2 have been then typically adopted by Gabriel after which Sanders in follow reps. Stefanski once more downplayed the importance of the reps and mentioned the order will differ over the course of the offseason exercise program.
Pickett likened the presence of Flacco, who’s getting into his 18th NFL season, to that of a coach due to his huge expertise.
“It is like having one other coach when a man that is performed that a lot soccer, you might bounce concepts off of, ask him what he noticed, how he would learn sure issues earlier in his profession,” Pickett mentioned. “There’s simply so many issues, small issues you can be taught. Simply having that standard, , open dialogue that we’ve got within the quarterback room.”
The Browns’ second OTA follow was a jam-packed session designed to maximise reps for every quarterback. At one level, the rookie quarterbacks carried out workforce drills on one facet of the sphere whereas the veteran passers stayed on a separate area to work.
Flacco, who was named Most Priceless Participant of Tremendous Bowl XLVII after main the Baltimore Ravens to their second championship, mentioned he hasn’t been in a quarterback competitors since his sophomore 12 months of highschool. However he is having fun with the dynamic of the quarterback room and the youth of Sanders and Gabriel.
“Shedeur has been nice. I imply, he is a whole lot of enjoyable to be round in these assembly rooms,” Flacco mentioned. “I believe to this point, there’s been no less than as soon as within the assembly room that he is made me crack a smile, and that is what it is all about. , he is a younger man making an attempt to be taught some soccer and are available out right here and follow nicely and do these issues. And like I mentioned, he is been a whole lot of enjoyable. I in all probability wasn’t too far-off from taking part in towards his dad, and now I am taking part in with him.”
