“We have a quarterback that we trust and we know he’s going to make the plays,” Joel Bitoni said of fellow veteran and teammate Joe Flacco as the Cleveland Browns prepared for their 2025 campaign. Cut to game 1, much of Bitoni’s assessment proved true. Joe Flacco went 31 of 45 for 290 yards, scored one touchdown, and had two picks. That being said, it’s just game 1, right? And the Browns conceded a 17-16 defeat to the Cincinnati Bengals. For Mike Sando of The Athletic, however, that’s enough.

“Flacco was far from perfect in his first game back with Cleveland, but he deserved better results,” wrote Sando in his report card. After all, both of his game-changing interceptions came off his own receivers—Jerry Jeudy and Cedric Tillman. Jeudy himself couldn’t help but take the blame. “Flacco did a good job. The two turnovers were unfortunate picks. We had them in our hands.” Those were not the only instances when Flacco’s efforts didn’t meet the support.

He had Browns in a position to take the lead with just 2:22 left on the clock. But Andre Szmyt, the kicker, couldn’t capitalize on the 36-yard field goal opportunity. And Sando is convinced that Kevin Stefanski is only going to see more of the same going forward. “As a whole, though, this seems pretty indicative of what the Browns can expect from Flacco.” As for how the head coach himself saw the veteran QB’s first day back, he was split between two emotions.

“I thought he saw it well, got the ball to the correct people a lot of the time, Mary Kay (Cabot). (He) gave guys the opportunity to catch and run, but yeah, frustrated for him and for everyone,” Stefanski said after the game, while declaring that both Jeudy and Tillman remain the Browns’ best receivers despite what happened against the Bengals. But even though Stefanski showed tempered optimism in Flacco, NFL great Terry Bradshaw had something else to say.

Terry Bradshaw’s brutal assessment of Joe Flacco and Browns’ QB situation

Appearing on FOX NFL Sunday, Terry Bradshaw proposed that the Browns’ starter should be Dillon Gabriel instead of Flacco. “Cleveland are not happy. They got to go with Flacco—a 40-year-old quarterback,” Bradshaw said. “Folks, I’m not a stats guy, I studied probably more than anybody here, and we know that. But since 1999 there have been 40 different starting quarterbacks in Cleveland.” He mentioned the instability in the Browns’ locker room, especially when it comes to the QB position. After all, they have had only three seasons in which the same quarterback started every game.

He continued, ”I think Dillon Gabriel, the third-round pick out of Oregon, is the answer. Maybe I thought Pickett was—they moved him out to Las Vegas with the Raiders. Cleveland, Flacco, I like Flacco but look for Dillon to come in early.” Bradshaw’s comments highlight the scrutiny that Flacco has been under for a hot minute now. Meanwhile, Dillon Gabriel has drawn praise from assistant GM Catherine Hickman as well.

On the flip side, Sanders, a fifth-round pick out of Colorado, will not get significant playing time this year, adding fuel to the notion that the immediate quarterback debate is between Flacco and Gabriel. With Gabriel in waiting, the Browns’ strategy at quarterback continues to be one of the most monitored narratives throughout the AFC, where every game is molding perception and performance.