{"id":622450,"date":"2025-08-18T19:26:38","date_gmt":"2025-08-18T18:26:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/?p=622450"},"modified":"2025-08-18T19:26:49","modified_gmt":"2025-08-18T18:26:49","slug":"cleveland-browns-qb-race-ends-joe-flacco-named-week-1-starter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/cleveland-browns-qb-race-ends-joe-flacco-named-week-1-starter\/","title":{"rendered":"Cleveland Browns\u2019 QB Race Ends \u2013 At 40, Joe Flacco Named Week 1 Starter in Veteran Return"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The Cleveland Browns have officially named Joe Flacco their starting quarterback, ending weeks of speculation and training camp competition. Head coach Kevin Stefanski confirmed the decision ahead of the preseason finale, sticking to his promise that the call would come before the team&rsquo;s Week 1 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals on September 7.<\/p><p>Stefanski&rsquo;s choice ends a quarterback battle that featured offseason acquisition Kenny Pickett, rookie draft picks Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders, and lingering uncertainty around Deshaun Watson. While the competition generated buzz throughout camp, the Browns turned to the proven veteran.<\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Breaking: The Browns are naming Joe Flacco as their starting QB for Week 1, sources tell <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/AdamSchefter?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" class=\"trk-cta-link\" data-cta-trk='{\"ctaType\":\"Link\",\"ctaSubType\":\"main\"}'>@AdamSchefter<\/a>.<br><br>Get breaking news alerts from Adam Schefter through the ESPN app: <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/Hjq6YDZRaO\" class=\"trk-cta-link\" data-cta-trk='{\"ctaType\":\"Link\",\"ctaSubType\":\"main\"}'>https:\/\/t.co\/Hjq6YDZRaO<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/RjQcYxnYyM\" class=\"trk-cta-link\" data-cta-trk='{\"ctaType\":\"Link\",\"ctaSubType\":\"main\"}'>pic.twitter.com\/RjQcYxnYyM<\/a><\/p>&mdash; ESPN (@espn) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/espn\/status\/1957490039182471531?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" class=\"trk-cta-link\" data-cta-trk='{\"ctaType\":\"Link\",\"ctaSubType\":\"main\"}'>August 18, 2025<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A Familiar Leader for the Browns&rsquo; Offense<\/h2><p>Flacco&rsquo;s leadership is nothing new to Cleveland. Signed in April 2025, he had already steadied the Browns in late 2023, starting five straight games from Week 13 and delivering a 4-1 record. His defining moment came in Week 17, when he led the team past the New York Jets on Thursday Night Football to secure Cleveland&rsquo;s first playoff berth since 2020. Last year, he was with the Indianapolis Colts under a one-year contract and returned to the Browns this season.&nbsp;<\/p><p>Flacco, now entering his 18th NFL season, built his case with steady performances throughout training camp. He practiced extensively with the first unit, taking reps in joint practices against the Panthers and Eagles and showing command against veteran defenses. Although he sat out the first two preseason games, Stefanski signaled he wanted to solidify the position early to prepare the team for the opener.<\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">The <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Browns?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" class=\"trk-cta-link\" data-cta-trk='{\"ctaType\":\"Link\",\"ctaSubType\":\"main\"}'>#Browns<\/a> are naming QB Joe Flacco as their starter, the end of a training camp competition that never really was.<br><br>Flacco quickly emerged as QB1, while the others battled injuries. The player who led them to the playoffs in 2023 is back. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/oJPj0CzhDe\" class=\"trk-cta-link\" data-cta-trk='{\"ctaType\":\"Link\",\"ctaSubType\":\"main\"}'>pic.twitter.com\/oJPj0CzhDe<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/RapSheet\/status\/1957487663382212691?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" class=\"trk-cta-link\" data-cta-trk='{\"ctaType\":\"Link\",\"ctaSubType\":\"main\"}'>August 18, 2025<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure><p><em>&ldquo;The last couple of weeks, honestly, it&rsquo;s been pretty good for me,&rdquo;<\/em> Flacco said on Aug. 13. <em>&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve gotten to get more reps and get comfortable and feel like I&rsquo;m doing things at a pretty high level.&rdquo; (via Cleveland Browns official website)<\/em><\/p><p>Cleveland&rsquo;s retooled quarterback room is now anchored by a veteran who brings Super Bowl experience and invaluable perspective from years across different teams and locker rooms. Stefanski praised Flacco&rsquo;s steady approach and professionalism, traits that set him apart in camp.<\/p><p><em>&ldquo;Joe&rsquo;s the same guy that he was then,&rdquo; <\/em>Stefanski said on Aug. 13. <em>&ldquo;He&rsquo;s the same guy every single day. I think that&rsquo;s one of the things you admire about Joe is how he approaches his business. He&rsquo;s done a really nice job in camp. He&rsquo;s also done a really nice job just providing leadership to the quarterback room, to the offense and to the football team.&rdquo; (via Cleveland Browns official website)<\/em><\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Browns name Joe Flacco as starting quarterback. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/uohdSwfif5\" class=\"trk-cta-link\" data-cta-trk='{\"ctaType\":\"Link\",\"ctaSubType\":\"main\"}'>pic.twitter.com\/uohdSwfif5<\/a><\/p>&mdash; NFL (@NFL) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NFL\/status\/1957488534522408964?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" class=\"trk-cta-link\" data-cta-trk='{\"ctaType\":\"Link\",\"ctaSubType\":\"main\"}'>August 18, 2025<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure><p><em>Mandatory Image Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images<\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"mm-layout mm-layout-type-post mm-layout-slot4\">\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Stefanski ends the quarterback battle, choosing experience over youth for the Cincinnati opener.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":40,"featured_media":622451,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_mux_skip_reasons":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[6514,373,568,4907],"class_list":["post-622450","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl","tag-6514","tag-cleveland-browns","tag-joe-flacco","tag-quarterback"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Cleveland Browns&rsquo; QB Race Ends &ndash; At 40, Joe Flacco Named Week 1 Starter in Veteran Return - The Playoffs<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Explore how Joe Flacco, at 40, won the Browns&rsquo; QB race. Find out why Stefanski chose the veteran as Cleveland&rsquo;s Week 1 starter vs. the Bengals.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/cleveland-browns-qb-race-ends-joe-flacco-named-week-1-starter\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Cleveland Browns&rsquo; QB Race Ends &ndash; At 40, Joe Flacco Named Week 1 Starter in Veteran Return - The Playoffs\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Explore how Joe Flacco, at 40, won the Browns&rsquo; QB race. 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