Jerry Jeudy burst onto the scene last season. After quiet years in Denver, he suddenly looked crisp in Cleveland. Clean routes, reliable hands, and a nose for explosive plays. He led the Browns with 1,229 yards and four touchdowns on 90 receptions. It wasn’t a fluke. Week after week, Jeudy flashed the talent scouts saw in Alabama. So what was the reason for the magic? Not what, but who, Jameis Winston stepping in around week 9 made pretty much all the difference.

From that point, Jeudy hauled in 61 balls for 955 yards and three scores over 12 games, averaging a ridiculous 15.7 yards per catch. When Winston trusted him in rhythm throws and deep shots (hello, 89-yard touchdown), Jeudy responded. That chemistry with a veteran QB transformed him into one of the Browns’ most explosive weapons—and set the stage for bigger questions ahead.

Speaking of the bigger questions, that’s exactly what longtime Cleveland voice Jay Crawford is watching for heading into 2025. But he’s not sugarcoating any of it. Winston is not there anymore in Cleveland. The Browns have four quarterbacks, and Joe Flacco is the new veteran quarterback. Now, Crawford believes that without a veteran QB like Flacco, Jeudy might not pop at all. “We kept hearing, ‘He’s (Jerry) this guy, he’s this guy,” Crawford explained on the Ultimate Cleveland Sports Show, addressing Jerry’s earlier seasons. “I never saw it, and then Jameis Winston came in the lineup, and I’m like, ‘Oh my god, he’s that guy.'” 

Crawford noted Jeudy’s last season’s performance when Deshaun Watson went down, and Winston stepped up. Before arriving in Cleveland, Jeudy had turned heads with the Broncos, no doubt. But he exploded in Berea. But even then, not until he was catching passes from a vet, per Crawford.

“When you have a quarterback that is a professional quarterback, and he knows what he’s doing and he can spin it, those guys now can separate themselves from the others that play that position, and I think Jerry Jeudy did that last year,” he added. Crawford used David Njoku‘s time with Flacco in the 2023 season to back up his statement.

Njoku had a few underwhelming seasons with the Browns. But when Flacco arrived in 2023, he started 16 games and had 81 receptions for 882 yards. And now that Jeudy is entering the second season with the Browns, Crawford pointed out that he could thrive again if Flacco remains the starting quarterback.

“My prediction is, we’re going to see two different Jerry Jeudies this year. We’re going to see the one we saw last year with Jameis Winston when Joe Flacco is playing,” Crawford added…“So, we don’t have guys right now that are going to, if I say who’s the quarterback that’s going to throw receivers open well, that’s easy, Joe Flacco. So, if we get Joe Flacco, Jerry Jeudy, he’s going to look really good this year.” Plain and simple. But let’s face it, Joe Flacco being the starting quarterback means only one thing: benching Shedeur Sanders after all the hype.

The Browns’ QB dilemma: Joe Flacco or Shedeur Sanders

On paper, Joe Flacco seems like the starting quarterback. After all, he’s the veteran, a Super Bowl champion, and has led Cleveland to the playoffs in the past. But that was… well, two years ago. And now? Things have quietly changed. The Browns’ quarterback room is stacked with four QBs—two vets, and a couple of rookies. So, if you’re thinking that Flacco is going to lead the Browns the entire season, think again.

Enter Daniel Jeremiah, who made it pretty clear that Flacco is probably not the first-choice quarterback for the upcoming season. “I think Flacco is ‘just in case’ if they don’t feel like they can be competent. I think the Week One starter is going to be one of the rookies,” he said. Translation? Kevin Stefanski and Co. might ditch experience for young talent.

Let’s clarify one thing—at this point, Flacco seems to have the upper hand over Kenny Pickett, given that Pickett struggled a bit this offseason. That said, Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel are next in line. That’s where the whole odds come into play. Shedeur leads with a +150 chance of starting under center, slightly more than Gabriel with +450 odds. But that’s what leading the camp with 9 TDs gives you.

Besides, the Browns are clearly aiming to develop their next franchise quarterback this season. So if—and likely when—Flacco isn’t in the picture next year, all eyes will shift toward either Shedeur or Gabriel to take the reins. “Next year, this time, they have to know what they have in those two rookies. They have to get one more of them. That’s why you don’t waste time,” Daniel added.

“It’s not ‘okay, let’s let Flacco and these guys get comfortable, then we can see who wins it between the two and we can insert them in week 8 or week 10.’ Uh uh, you have to evaluate these two kids right now, so before the next draft, you have some clarity of what you have on campus,” he concluded. Understandably so. Given the Browns’ rocky history at quarterback, it’s important for them to know what kind of impact their rookie can make.