Cleveland Browns Sign Super Bowl Champion Quarterback Following Deshaun Watson's Injury

Joe Flacco is back in the NFL.

By Brian Jones

The Cleveland Browns just added a well-known quarterback to the roster. This week, the team announced Joe Flacco has been signed to the practice squad. The move was made in response to Deshaun Watson being out for the remainder of the season due to an injured shoulder. Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski said that Dorian Thompson-Robinson will remain the starting quarterback Thompson-Robinson led the Browns to a 13-10 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers, and the Browns have the second-best record in the AFC with a 7-3 record. 

Flacco, 38, joined the Browns after spending last season with the New York Jets. He was selected by the Baltimore Ravens in the first round of the 2008 NFL Draft and was the team's starting QB from his rookie season until half of the 2018 season. During his time with the Ravens, Flacco threw for 38,245 yards with 212 touchdowns and 136 interceptions with an 84.1 passer rating in 163 games. In 2012, Flacco led the Ravens to the Super Bowl win and was named Super Bow MVP after throwing for 287 yards and three touchdowns against the San Francisco 49ers. 

In February 2019, the Ravens traded Flacco to the Denver Broncos and played in eight games during the 2019 season. In May 2020, Flacco signed a one-year contract with the New York Jets and played in five games, The following year, Flacco signed with the Philadelphia Eagles but was traded to the Jets during the 2021 season. 

When speaking to reporters this week, Stefanski was asked if Flacco could be the backup quarterback as he continues to learn the offense. "Yeah, we're just going to continue to bring Joe along like we do all of our players," he said, per Cleveland.com "It's really, you look up and down our roster, there are a lot of guys that got here after training camp and after the season started, so that's what we do. He's going to meet extra with our coaches and get them up to speed."

Stefanski was also asked if he had worked with Flacco before he signed with the Browns. "We were just talking about it," he revealed. "He's a Jersey Shore guy, I'm a Jersey Shore guy. We're like 30 blocks away from each other, but I don't think we ever bumped into each other. No, but I know a lot of people who have coached Joe, so we have a lot of mutual people in this business."

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