Joe Flacco leaves Browns practice without deal, still his top target, report says

After losing starting quarterback Deshaun Watson for the remainder of the season to a shoulder injury, the Cleveland Browns are turning to rookie Dorian Thompson-Robinson to start this weekend against their division rival, the Pittsburgh Steelers. But they are also interested in other quarterbacks.

Joe Flacco, who played for the Baltimore Ravens, Denver Broncos and New York Jets, worked for the Browns Friday. The veteran, however, left without a deal, according to Cleveland.com. He would remain their top target and could be added to the active roster or practice squad by next week.

After spending the first 11 years of his career in Baltimore and winning a Super Bowl along the way, Flacco spent one year in Denver and three in New York, alternating as a starter and backup for each team. He started four games in 2022, going 1-3 while completing just 57.6% of his passes averaging a career-low 5.5 yards per attempt with five touchdowns against three interceptions . The quarterback, now 38, has been out of the league throughout this season.

It’s not yet clear what other quarterbacks might work for Cleveland, but the Browns have PJ Walker in addition to Thompson-Robinson, and they felt comfortable enough with Walker to start him for three games Watson missed earlier in the season. It seems unlikely that the signed quarterback would usurp both players, but stranger things have certainly happened – especially in this wild season of backup quarterback play.