Story by
Cleveland Browns officially sign Joe Flacco to practice squad as No. 3 quarterback
- Story by
- Cleveland Browns officially sign Joe Flacco to practice squad as No. 3 quarterback
BEREA — Dorian Thompson-Robinson will be the Browns starting quarterback when they head to Denver this week to play the Broncos. However, coach Kevin Stefanski said that newly signed Joe Flacco will have a role as well.
"Yeah, Dorian will start and Joe's role is to support this team coming in here," Stefanski said Monday afternoon. "We were able to add a guy with a ton of experience. He'll be great for that room. He'll be great for this team."
Advertisement
The much-discussed move to sign Flacco became official Monday when he was added to the Browns practice squad. The signing was first reported Sunday night , hours after the Browns improved to 7-3 with a 13-10 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers .
Stefanski wouldn't say anything definitive on Flacco's status on the depth chart against the Broncos (5-5), who have won four in a row. He would need to be elevated to the gameday roster by 4 p.m. Saturday.
"We're just going to continue to bring Joe along like we do all of our players," Stefanski said. "It's really, you look up and down our roster, there's a lot of guys that got here after training camp and after the season started. So that's what we do. He's going to meet extra with our coaches and get him up to speed."
To make room for Flacco on the practice squad, wide receiver Trinity Benson was released.
Advertisement
The 38-year-old Flacco immediately becomes the oldest player on the Browns, either on the active roster or practice squad. He also brings a level of winning — having been the Most Valuable Player in the Baltimore Ravens ' win in Super Bowl 47 — in his past that his newest teammates hope to harness to help them as they push for the playoffs.
"It's only going to help us get closer to our goals," cornerback Greg Newsome II said. "I mean, a guy that has been to Super Bowls, won the Super Bowl, it's always great to have those guys in the building, especially where our aspirations are for the end of the season. It's going to be good to just get his feedback on certain things and, like I said, it is perfect that he's coming at the right time, especially in this stretch that we're about to go on."
Thompson-Robinson started the win over the Steelers, his second career NFL start. He led the Browns on an eight-play, 48-yard drive in the final 1:18 that resulted in Dustin Hopkins ' game-winning 34-yard field goal with 2 seconds remaining.
The rookie fifth-round pick was starting because Deshaun Watson will have season-ending surgery on his right shoulder at some point this week in Los Angeles. Watson, who missed three games and most of a fourth in October due to a rotator cuff strain, sustained the injury during a Week 10 win at the Baltimore Ravens.
Advertisement
That left just Thompson-Robinson and fourth-year pro P.J. Walker as healthy quarterbacks on the roster. The two have a combined 11 starts, which is four fewer than the number of starts in playoff games (15) for Flacco since he came into the league as a 2008 first-round draft pick.
"I think that all the experience, the vet help is going to be exponential for (Thompson-Robinson)," right guard Wyatt Teller said. "I feel like that's the hardest thing. When I was a young player, there was a lot of growing pains when it came to how to be a pro, all this different stuff. Now I will say DTR, he gets it. He got it a lot earlier than I did."
Flacco worked out for the Browns on Friday in Berea, the only quarterback they brought in after Watson's most recent injury. The veteran in his 16th season left that day without signing a deal, although it was apparent that was the direction it was trending.
After playing for the New York Jets last season, Flacco was not with a team in training camp. However, Stefanski said he was impressed with what he saw from the veteran.
Advertisement
"Yeah, the workout looks good," Stefanski said. "Kept himself in good shape. Yeah, fit. As you know, there's different guys have different skillsets and those type of thing, but just a guy that has seen a lot, has played in different systems, feel like he can bring value to that room."
Flacco played in five games, including four starts, with the Jets last season, completing 110 of 191 passes (57.6%) for 1,051 yards with five touchdowns and three interceptions. That includes a Week 2 miracle 31-30 win over the Browns in which he was 26-of-44 passing (59.1%) for 307 yards with four touchdowns, including two in the final 90 seconds.
That was the last of three seasons with the Jets dating back to the 2020 season. He spent the 2019 season with the Broncos, who acquired him from the Ravens at the end of training camp.
Flacco spent the first 11 years of his career in Baltimore, where he was the Ravens' first-round pick out of the University of Delaware in 2008. He won two AFC North championships and played in three AFC Championship games in six playoff appearances with the Ravens.
Advertisement
Flacco is 99-81 as a starter, including 18-3 against the Browns. He's thrown for 42,320 yards with 232 touchdowns and 147 picks in 183 career games.
"Yeah, I just think that's all of our guys when it comes to being a great teammate, sharing wisdom with your teammates, pushing your teammates, helping your teammates, that's kind of what we do," Stefanski said. "Obviously Joe has a wealth of experience. I know our quarterbacks, myself, everybody will draw on that."
Chris Easterling can be reached at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on Twitter at @ceasterlingABJ
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Browns sign Joe Flacco to practice squad as No. 3 quarterback
