The Cleveland Browns have been a circus to watch during the 2025 offseason, and Pittsburgh Steelers fans are loving it. After the Deshaun Watson situation went from bad to worse, Cleveland signed veteran quarterback Joe Flacco, traded for former Steelers QB Kenny Pickett, drafted quarterbacks Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders, and signed veteran QB Tyler Huntley.
During the preseason, the Browns are left with a collection of quarterbacks but no quality option for the 2025 season. Now we have finally learned who will be taking the reins this year.
On Monday, ESPN insider Adam Schefter reported that the Browns are naming Flacco as their Week 1 starting quarterback against the Cincinnati Bengals.
This is hardly earth-shattering news. If anything, it's what most of us expected. But now that we have confirmation of how this QB fiasco in Cleveland is shaping up, the Pittsburgh Steelers can start game planning for Week 6 when they face the Browns.
The Pittsburgh Steelers are likely to face QB Joe Flacco in Week 6 when they host the Cleveland Browns
The Pittsburgh Steelers have an early Week 5 bye this year. This makes for a brutal late-season stretch with 13 straight games that may roll into the playoffs (if all goes as planned). But at least they will get two weeks to prepare for the Cleveland Browns.
Flacco was the obvious choice at quarterback. Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders are mid-round picks and rookies who don't have so much as a game of experience between the two, while Kenny Pickett has been disappointing since being a first-round pick of the Steelers in the 2022 NFL Draft.
Flacco (40) is the second-oldest quarterback in the NFL, next to only Aaron Rodgers. While the little mobility he had has gone by the wayside, the long-time veteran still has a dangerous arm to push the ball down the field. However, Flacco is a statue in the pocket, and Pittsburgh's pass rush should be able to get home when they host the Browns on October 12.
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Of course, there's always a chance that Flacco doesn't make it this long into the season before getting benched. We know that the 40-year-old isn't the future of the team, and if the Browns have a poor start to the season, they could go with a young quarterback sooner than expected.
Right now, it's impossible to say which QB will be next in line if and when the Browns pull the plug on Flacco, but a lot could change between now and Week 6.
Either way, you can bet the Pittsburgh Steelers will be well prepared to face their division rivals. Surprisingly, Mike Tomlin has a record of just 11-11 all-time against Joe Flacco (including the playoffs), and if this is the last time they meet, the Steelers will want to set the record straight.