Game after game, the Cleveland Browns’ injury report goes up and their active roster goes down. It is clear that with the many injuries the team is gaining, there are many doubts on how the team’s performance will be for the rest of the season. The team needs a quarterback, and maybe even more than that, a leader. Each year, the Browns fall short of having a solid quarterback, and this year, that quarterback position has had its fair share of problems.
Deshaun Watson, who started the first six games for the Browns, is soon to undergo surgery after breaking a bone in his shoulder. After this, rookie Dorian Thompson-Robinson stepped up to the position, but showed that he was very underprepared and not up to full NFL par. To solve this issue, the team decided to do something no one would have predicted. The Browns brought 38-year-old Joe Flacco to the team.
Joe Flacco spent most of his career playing for the Baltimore Ravens from 2008-2018. Flacco is known for his powerful throwing arm and decisiveness on the field, two attributes that the Browns have been searching for. Flacco spent his last season in 2022 with the Jets, but did not sign with any team in this 2023 season until just weeks ago. It is not clear whether Flacco’s presence will be long term on the team, but after his performances in his first two games with the team, he is successfully getting his job done.
Flacco’s first game day was against the Los Angeles Rams in week 13 where he proved himself more than capable of keeping his position on the team. In that game he had 254 passing yards and threw two touchdown passes. Since then, he has earned crucial wins including a 4-point win against the Jaguars.
The loss of starting running back Nick Chubb also leaves a hole in the team that Flacco has done a great job making up. In just the first game of the Brown’s season, Chubb was met with a season-ending injury to his knee. Later MRI scans and tests revealed he has torn several ligaments and would need surgery. The injury left the running back position up to Gerome Ford and Kareem Hunt. Ford has filled the role well and averages around 103 yards a game, but he does not nearly compare to Chubb’s skill set. With this key player from the Browns absent, Flacco, Ford and Hunt have done an excellent job stepping up and filling the roles.
Apart from his presence on the field, Flacco brings even more of an impact off of it. Flacco’s many years of experience in the league brings characteristics that influence the team’s culture everywhere. Flacco displays humbleness and gratitude for the opportunity he was given to play for at least another year. After the Browns’ close game against the Chicago Bears on December 17th, he expressed his love for his teammates and highlighted their strengths. He stayed humble while the game was discussed and gave feedback that showed he is determined to give the Browns a winning season.
Whether or not this comeback continues for the Browns, the Quarterback position seems to have found its taker. Only time will tell if injury or other factors takes Flacco from his place on the Browns. Joe Flacco provides the hope that Cleveland football and all its fans needs.
