Joe Flacco’s time in Cleveland appears to have been short-lived.
The Cleveland Browns reportedly didn’t sign the veteran quarterback after he worked out for the team Friday, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. He was among 11 players who had a workout Friday.
This doesn’t mean the 38-year-old Flacco won’t ever sign with the team, though: As Fowler wrote, Flacco would never have suited up for Week 11 so there would be no rush to ink him to a contract immediately. So for now, the Browns quarterback room will remain as it was with Dorian Thompson-Robinson as the starter and P.J. Walker as the backup.
General manager Andrew Berry said the Browns would look at other quarterback options in the wake of Deshaun Watson’s season-ending shoulder surgery, and Flacco was their first in-person workout. There are several other quarterback options out there, though none inspire much confidence.
The Browns have to hope Thompson-Robinson can put together a serviceable performance against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 11. Cleveland is squarely in the playoff hunt and could be in a three-team race for the AFC North. The Cincinnati Bengals lost quarterback Joe Burrow for the rest of the season with a wrist injury he suffered against the Baltimore Ravens, which more-or-less knocked them out of a postseason run.
Flacco may not have provided much in the way of excitement, but his veteran presence on the sideline or experience as a spot-starter would have been solid insurance for an otherwise unsavory situation for Cleveland’s offense. The combo of Thompson-Robinson and Walker went 1-2 when Watson was previously injured while the team leaned on its top-ranked offense.
While Flacco was the first quarterback to work out for the Browns, he likely won’t be the last.
