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BEREA — Joe Flacco made be the opening-day starter for the Browns this fall. There's also a chance he'll be sitting behind either Kenny Pickett or a rookie to be determined in the draft.
The reason why Flacco was signed, according to general manager Andrew Berry, was not necessarily to be handed the keys to the
"It's about breeding competition and whatever that room looks like as we go into the spring," Berry said during his pre-draft media availability Thursday. "And then probably most importantly, training camp, all those individuals will have a chance to compete to be the starter."
Both Flacco and Pickett head into the spring with starter's experience in the league, obviously more with the former than the latter. The 40-year-old Flacco has nearly 200 career regular-season starts under his belt, compared to 25 for the 26-year-old Pickett.
Flacco spent last season with the Indianapolis Colts. He won a Super Bowl during his time with the Baltimore Ravens, which covered his first 11 seasons in the league.
There was the familiarity piece with Flacco that was too hard to ignore. He started five regular-season and a playoff game for the Browns in 2023, winning his final four December starts to help them secure just the third postseason berth since 1999.
"We know Joe, he fits in the system," Berry said. "We think he's a quarterback that can fit in any of the spots of the QB room, whether he's a short-term starter, whether he's in the backup quarterback role, he's excellent. He certainly fit kind of like our resource allocation from a roster planning standpoint."
The Browns acquired Pickett, the 2022 first-round pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers, in a March trade with the Philadelphia Eagles. He had spent last season with the eventually Super Bowl winners as Jalen Hurts' backup.
"In terms of Joe versus Kenny, Joe, I mentioned earlier, he can fit a number of the different spots in the room," Berry said. "We obviously know him well. He's an excellent play-action passer. He functions kind of in our system. With Kenny, younger guy, mobile, very smart, protects the ball. I think there's more physical ability in him. A guy we did a lot of work on in that draft process and obviously saw him twice a year when he was in Pittsburgh, and so we think there there's more to get out of him there."
Nothing about either Flacco or Pickett, though, changes what's at stake for the Browns when it comes to next week's draft. Specifically, when it comes to their plans for selecting a quarterback, likely within the first two days of the draft.
The Browns have had multiple meetings with five quarterbacks, although Miami's Cam Ward is expected to go No. 1 overall to the Tennessee Titans. They've done the same with Colorado's Shedeur Sanders, Ole Miss' Jaxson Dart, Alabama's Jalen Milroe and Louisville's Tyler Shough.
"We wouldn't consider signing Joe as having any real impact in terms of how we would view taking a quarterback in the draft," Berry said. "We firmly believe that it's not about picking a player who's ready to contribute now, it's about trying to find the player that you think is going to be the best if you have access to that player. … So quarterbacks mature and grow at their own pace and our thought isn't in terms of immediacy but making the next long-term bet."
When that bet is made won't be forced by the positional need. Berry remained steadfast that he was not going to force a quarterback with the Browns' No. 2 overall pick, saying "all options remain on the table."
The last couple of weeks has seen the smoke around the Browns' top pick being on Colorado two-way star Travis Hunter. Penn State defensive end Abdul Carter also remains in the conversation.
"Obviously quarterback's the most important position," Berry said. "I think the biggest thing that we're thinking about going into this draft is really just adding good players and good prospects, not overthinking it that way. You can't necessarily dictate the draft, although certainly you have more influence when you're picking as high as we are this year, but we're really just looking at good players."
Chris Easterling can be reached at [email protected]. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on X at @ceasterlingABJ
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Joe Flacco adds 'competition' at Browns QB, won't alter draft plans
Continue reading...
The reason why Flacco was signed, according to general manager Andrew Berry, was not necessarily to be handed the keys to the
"It's about breeding competition and whatever that room looks like as we go into the spring," Berry said during his pre-draft media availability Thursday. "And then probably most importantly, training camp, all those individuals will have a chance to compete to be the starter."
Both Flacco and Pickett head into the spring with starter's experience in the league, obviously more with the former than the latter. The 40-year-old Flacco has nearly 200 career regular-season starts under his belt, compared to 25 for the 26-year-old Pickett.
Flacco spent last season with the Indianapolis Colts. He won a Super Bowl during his time with the Baltimore Ravens, which covered his first 11 seasons in the league.
There was the familiarity piece with Flacco that was too hard to ignore. He started five regular-season and a playoff game for the Browns in 2023, winning his final four December starts to help them secure just the third postseason berth since 1999.
"We know Joe, he fits in the system," Berry said. "We think he's a quarterback that can fit in any of the spots of the QB room, whether he's a short-term starter, whether he's in the backup quarterback role, he's excellent. He certainly fit kind of like our resource allocation from a roster planning standpoint."
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The Browns acquired Pickett, the 2022 first-round pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers, in a March trade with the Philadelphia Eagles. He had spent last season with the eventually Super Bowl winners as Jalen Hurts' backup.
"In terms of Joe versus Kenny, Joe, I mentioned earlier, he can fit a number of the different spots in the room," Berry said. "We obviously know him well. He's an excellent play-action passer. He functions kind of in our system. With Kenny, younger guy, mobile, very smart, protects the ball. I think there's more physical ability in him. A guy we did a lot of work on in that draft process and obviously saw him twice a year when he was in Pittsburgh, and so we think there there's more to get out of him there."
Nothing about either Flacco or Pickett, though, changes what's at stake for the Browns when it comes to next week's draft. Specifically, when it comes to their plans for selecting a quarterback, likely within the first two days of the draft.
The Browns have had multiple meetings with five quarterbacks, although Miami's Cam Ward is expected to go No. 1 overall to the Tennessee Titans. They've done the same with Colorado's Shedeur Sanders, Ole Miss' Jaxson Dart, Alabama's Jalen Milroe and Louisville's Tyler Shough.
"We wouldn't consider signing Joe as having any real impact in terms of how we would view taking a quarterback in the draft," Berry said. "We firmly believe that it's not about picking a player who's ready to contribute now, it's about trying to find the player that you think is going to be the best if you have access to that player. … So quarterbacks mature and grow at their own pace and our thought isn't in terms of immediacy but making the next long-term bet."
When that bet is made won't be forced by the positional need. Berry remained steadfast that he was not going to force a quarterback with the Browns' No. 2 overall pick, saying "all options remain on the table."
The last couple of weeks has seen the smoke around the Browns' top pick being on Colorado two-way star Travis Hunter. Penn State defensive end Abdul Carter also remains in the conversation.
"Obviously quarterback's the most important position," Berry said. "I think the biggest thing that we're thinking about going into this draft is really just adding good players and good prospects, not overthinking it that way. You can't necessarily dictate the draft, although certainly you have more influence when you're picking as high as we are this year, but we're really just looking at good players."
Chris Easterling can be reached at [email protected]. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on X at @ceasterlingABJ
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Joe Flacco adds 'competition' at Browns QB, won't alter draft plans
Continue reading...
