Andrew Berry is once again the topic of the conversation about the Cleveland Browns for, once again, all the wrong reasons. This time, he’s claiming it’s not Joe Flacco’s job to mentor the two rookie quarterbacks the Browns selected in this year’s draft, Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders.
Well, what exactly is his job? Flacco is 40 years old and is only relevant in the NFL right now because two years ago, Berry decided to yank him off his couch as the knight in shining armor for a Browns team starving for a quarterback.
Flacco will probably start the year and, yes, like Berry said, it is his job to compete for the starting job. But let’s be honest, the Browns haven’t finished with the same quarterback in a single season since Baker Mayfield was in town. Even if Flacco is the day one starter, it’s highly unlikely he finishes the season.
Which means once he’s relegated from starter, who are the Browns turning to? It won’t be Kenny Pickett, which means Gabriel or Sanders will need some veteran mentorship and that will be Flacco’s job; even if it’s not in Berry’s description.
Joe Flacco’s only job should be to mentor the young quarterbacks thanks to the Cleveland Browns drafting two of them
I get that Berry doesn’t want to disrupt Flacco’s mindset before the season begins by saying his only job is to mentor the youthful quarterback room. But at this point in his career, the only reason you sign him and draft two quarterbacks is to get a reasonable veteran's knowledge in the quarterback room.
What could Gabriel and Sanders learn from Deshaun Watson or Kenny Pickett? Nothing that will keep them in the NFL long at all. Flacco is, quite frankly, the only person the two should be learning from. He’s not even supposed to be playing in the NFL right now, yet here he is, 40 years old, preparing for his 18th season.
Flacco isn’t really adding anything else to this team other than veteran leadership. Even if he is “competing” for the starting job, chances are he gets it anyway as the most experienced player in the locker room. Pickett has shown across two different teams that he’s not starter quality.
For the Browns to bring back Flacco just to start a rookie wouldn’t make much sense either, especially if he’s not supposed to be worried about helping two rookies transition to the NFL.
I get Berry probably doesn’t want to put labels on anything, but if he sees Flacco as anything more than a bridge quarterback that’s supposed to prepare Gabriel and Sanders for when it’s their turn to take over this team, then Berry truly is out the door after this year.