As expected, the Cleveland Browns will proceed with Joe Flacco as their starting quarterback come Week 1 of the regular season. The 40-year-old led Cleveland to the playoffs in 2023 and will hope to recapture that magic in 2025. How he keeps stumbling into starting gigs is beyond me, but credit where it's due — Flacco has done more than most quarterbacks his age to stay relevant.
Now ... can we expect this to last? Almost definitely not. Unless Cleveland exceeds all reasonable expectations, there will come a point in the season where the playoffs are out of reach and development takes center stage. At that point, the Browns will need to decide which youngster to deploy in Flacco's stead, whether it's Kenny Pickett or one of the rookies. (I think we all want to see Shedeur Sanders, for one reason or another.)
The Browns aren't the only team trending toward shortsighted or simply ill-advised quarterback decisions to begin the campaign, though. Here are a few more QB battles that feel destined to skew in the wrong direction.
Zach Wilson over Quinn Ewers with the Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are going to start Tua Tagovailoa in Week 1. That was never really up for debate, even if Tagovailoa has earned his share of skeptics over the years. But what about the backup quarterback situation? Zach Wilson felt like a shoo-in when training camp began, but seventh-round pick Quinn Ewers has come on strong in preseason.
"Who cares?" Well, backup quarterbacks are only an injury away from extreme relevance, which is especially noteworthy in Miami. Tagovailoa's health has been anything but reliable since joining the Dolphins. He missed significant time last season due to repeated head trauma, which is why Miami's season went so far south. The Dolphins need an alternative capable of running Mike McDaniel's complex scheme and setting the table for Tyreek Hill, De'Von Achane and other star playmakers.
Wilson has all the talent in the world, but he's such an erratic decision-maker. It's hard to trust him after he flamed out in New York and failed to break through in Denver. McDaniel's scheme requires a great deal of precision, which is not Wilson's strong suit.
Ewers led the SEC in touchdowns and interceptions as a senior. His preseason has been a mixed bag, but skews positive overall. He has his own turnover and decision-making concerns to tackle, but he's four years younger with a big arm and substantial pedigree as a three-year collegiate starter at Texas. Miami should probably bet on Ewers' upside over whatever perceived stability Wilson offers as the veteran, because that's a mirage.
Russell Wilson over Jaxson Dart with the New York Giants
Jaxson Dart has excelled through two weeks of preseason football. It's just the preseason, but he looks remarkably comfortable in this offense. Dart's hot-cold nature at Ole Miss soured some pre-draft evaluators, but he was easily the most talented QB in the SEC last season. There's a reason he went in the first round, despite obvious concerns, and we know Brian Daboll loves a tall, high-octane quarterback who can escape the pocket and generate big plays. Dart isn't Josh Allen, but what if he's a little bit like Josh Allen? That's a huge win for the New York Giants.
Russell Wilson was named QB1 before training camp even began and there's no reason to think Daboll will deviate from that plan. But why? Sincerely: Wilson has flamed out in back-to-back stops. He couldn't make it work in a Broncos offense that is now flourishing under Bo Nix. He fell apart down the stretch with a Steelers team that, if nothing else, prides itself on consistency. Both teams offered a far better support system than he will receive in New York.
Wilson, 36, is well past his prime at this point. Dart is liable for the standard mistakes of a youthful quarterback, but he plainly raises the Giants ceiling in a way Wilson simply cannot at this stage of his career. We know Dart will finish the season as New York's QB1. It's virtually a guarantee, so why not get the transition of power over with now?
Daniel Jones over Anthony Richardson with the Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are expected to select a starting quarterback soon. Shane Steichen has done an excellent job of maintaining a shroud of mystery around his decision, making it feel like both Daniel Jones and Anthony Richardson have a shot. In fact, Richardson was the presumed favorite going into training camp, but there is a stark and unshakable feeling that Jones was the real frontrunner all along. Mainly because every time Steichen actually goes into detail, it's like he's deliberately setting the stage for Danny Dimes.
"“It’s everything,” Steichen said when asked about the variables that factor into his QB1 decision (h/t New York Post). “The operation, the communication in the huddle, the checks, getting guys on the same page. The consistency of all that, obviously, is going to play a big factor in this.”
Richardson, who has seem himself benched for the likes of Joe Flacco already, famously struggles in all the areas outlined above. Jones turns the rock over a ton and has struggled with decision-making in his own right, but Richardson represents a profound disparity between natural talent and technical skill. He struggles to clock blitzes. He misses simple reads all the time. He sails passes haphazardly into traffic. Jones wins the consistency battle, for now.
That doesn't mean the Colts should start Jones, who is mediocre is a rather boring way. There isn't a ton of upside there; he is what he is. Richardson, however, oozes potential. It will require a patient hand and a lot of reps, but there's still a world in which Richardson transcends his current limitations to become a star QB, like the Colts drafted him to be. Indy won't win a lot of games this season, so might as well roll the dice on Richardson.