Are You Shedeur?: Browns Name Joe Flacco As Starting QB

Hmm … something interesting is going on in Cleveland.

Joe Flacco has been named the Week 1 starting quarterback for the Cleveland Browns despite the tight competition between him, Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel.

A veteran quarterback who has won a Super Bowl championship, Flacco already has experience in the offense of head coach Kevin Stefanski. Going into preseason, he was the favorite to land the starter role, and in order to just have a chance to steal it, the other three quarterbacks — Sanders, Gabriel and Kenny Pickett — were going to have to play exceptionally well in both training camp and preseason.

“The last couple of weeks, honestly, it’s been pretty good for me,” said Flacco recently, per the Browns’ official website. “I’ve gotten to get more reps and get comfortable and feel like I’m doing things at a pretty high level.” (RELATED: Brawl So Insane Pops Off During Jaguars-Saints Preseason Game That Man’s Pants Fall Off)

Flacco was challenged by Sanders in the rookie’s first preseason contest, having two touchdowns against the Carolina Panthers. However, Sanders suffered an injury to his oblique causing him to be sidelined for the Browns‘ second preseason contest against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Taking over the reins, Gabriel was 13-0f-18 with 143 passing yards and one interception against Carolina.

Flacco hasn’t played in a single preseason game, and as you see, he didn’t need to.

Browns name Joe Flacco as starting quarterback. pic.twitter.com/uohdSwfif5

— NFL (@NFL) August 18, 2025

Another year, another crap-show in northeastern Ohio … ya gotta love Cleveland, baby.