The Cleveland Browns are attempting to make a Super Bowl appearance this year. After missing out on the playoffs last year, they are actively trying to fix things. Be it drafting young and exciting rookies, or bringing back old ex-players. All so that they do not disappoint this year, and Stefanski doesn’t lose his seat. Undeniably, the Browns have brought together a strong team that, on good days, can challenge even the mighty Eagles or the offensively top-rated Bengals.

With the Browns setting up a battle for the starting quarterback for quite some time now, they are already on the right path. After the offensive tragedy they had in 2024 because of Deshaun Watson‘s injury and inconsistency. They are not taking any chances. Snatching up Shedeur Sanders, Joe Flacco, Dillon Gabriel, and Kenny Pickett, they had brought immense depth into their offense. While Deshaun still sits on the sidelines with an injury, offering another alternative for late in the season. It will be tough to say that they will miss him, though. The Browns even made changes to their offensive staff, bringing optimism for a better year.

Browns Tight End, David Njoku, too, was candid about his team and the changes they made in a press conference. While speaking to the press after the 2nd annual David Njoku Celebrity Softball Game on 19th June, Njoku took a moment to talk about the Browns in brief. “You gotta see how it plays out, you know what I mean? Like I said, first and foremost, the work has to be done. From there, we’ll see how it goes,” he said. Reporters also asked Njoku about what he makes of Joe Flacco’s return and the Browns’ return to an old offensive style that helped them previously. He was, of course, referring to Stefanski’s heavy use of play-action and his emphasis on the run game with inside run and power gap.

But it seemed David was a bit elusive and stuck with quite a diplomatic answer without really giving his opinion. “That’s definitely exciting. But again, words are just words. We’ve got to put in the work and go get it,” Njoku said. Passing on the opportunity to say anything about his teammate and coach, and possibly creating a controversy.

The reporters also asked David about Tommy Rees, with whom he spent a lot of time last year. The TE coach was promoted earlier this offseason to an offensive coordinator as part of the Browns’ restructuring. David supported the decision and heaped praise on Tommy for his help. “Tommy’s a great guy, and he’s very, very, very smart, you know what I mean? So he’s putting us in the right places for us to be successful. That’s all you can really ask for, for a coach,” he said, emphasizing Tommy’s smartness.

Even though the Browns are in a better spot this year offensively, they still haven’t found a concrete answer to one question. Who will be their starting quarterback? While Kevin Stafanski and the management are silent on who’s getting the spot, we might have received a hint for the answer.

 Joe Flacco to be QB1 for the Browns?

As the mandatory minicamp got over last week, we are one step closer to the preseason. Surely this would mean that the head coach would know his starting players. Especially, in the quarterback department. While Stefanski hasn’t said anything to this effect, a Browns reporter, Tony Grossi, has given us an idea of who leads the race for the QB1 spot. And no, it is not Shedeur Sanders.

Grossi, in an article posted on his X page, revealed what Stefanski’s offensive strategy could mean. With Stefanski bringing back the ‘fake it till you make it’ play with the re-introduction of play-action, this is grown-man football. And Flacco, with tons of experience in this play, has been leading the race. When Flacco played at Baltimore under Gary Kubiak, he learnt his play-action scheme thoroughly. And with Stefanski using a similar scheme with the Browns, Flacco is in familiar territory.

While Flacco is out here teaching a master class on managing a successful offense in Cleveland, the rest are still learning how to fake it the best. This makes Flacco the safe bet in the Browns’ camp. And if anyone wants to take over the job later on, they will have to outplay Flacco in this scheme. While we can definitely expect some more competition during the training camp, as things stand. Joe Flacco will, in all probability, be the Cleveland Browns’ starting quarterback.