When Deshaun Watson went down with a season-ending shoulder injury about midway through the 2023 season, it was presumed the Cleveland Browns had, at most, a slim chance of making the playoffs.
But in came veteran quarterback Joe Flacco, who hadn’t played since the previous season, and he led them to a four-game winning streak in December that allowed them to finish 11-6 and make the playoffs.
Per Brad Stainbrook, Flacco and the Browns met at the NFL Combine and have mutual interest in keeping their partnership going this fall.
The #Browns and the rep of AP Comeback Player of the Year QB Joe Flacco met at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis last week. The interest for a reunion in Cleveland next season is mutual, per a league source. pic.twitter.com/Yv5FZeNJjB
— Brad Stainbrook (@StainbrookNFL) March 5, 2024
Because of what he did late in the 2023 campaign, Flacco was named the NFL’s Comeback Player of the Year, and he ended up throwing for 1,616 yards and 13 touchdowns in five games for Cleveland.
The 39-year-old isn’t quite what he was years ago when he led the Baltimore Ravens to a Super Bowl championship, but assuming Watson is ready to play during Week 1 of the 2024 season, he will likely be Watson’s backup.
Cleveland also has to navigate the recovery of star running back Nick Chubb, who suffered a severe knee injury in Week 2 of 2023 that ended his season.
When healthy, they seem to have a team that could do some real damage in the playoffs, but before Watson’s injury, he didn’t exactly look like the player who led the NFL in passing yards and made three straight Pro Bowls as a member of the Houston Texans.
But at least Flacco could give them some insurance in case Watson either gets hurt again or struggles mightily at some point in the 2024 season.
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