After the Browns named Joe Flacco their Week 1 starter, Kevin Stefanski stepped up to the mic on Tuesday, August 19. The big question hung in the air: Did Flacco actually earn this job? Stefanski didn’t blink: “ Yeah, he earned it ,” he said. Clean. Simple. Confident. But here’s the thing: did he really? It’s about as shaky as betting on the Browns to have a flawless season. We’ll understand it bit by bit.

Earlier this offseason, Stefanski confirmed that the Browns’ quarterbacks would be battling it out in a four-way competition. But the offseason told a different story. Shedeur Sanders barely sniffed first-team reps. Dillon Gabriel looked like the early favorite between the two rookies. And most of the time, it felt like the real battle was just Flacco versus Kenny Pickett

See Full Page