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The Browns are making an obvious Joe Flacco error in training camp

Prince J. Grimes   For The Win

The Cleveland Browns have maybe the most interesting quarterback battle we've ever seen taking place at training camp this summer; a four-way competition between Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders. But if the Browns are being real with themselves, this battle isn't nearly as interesting as they're making it seem.

Let's be honest here. The Browns won't win many games in 2025 -- and that's a generous way of saying they're going to stink. They're projected to finish last in the AFC North at BetMGM and have -1100 odds to miss the playoffs. Looking at the QB battle through that lens crystallizes what Cleveland should be trying to do: finding out who can stick beyond 2025.

Which brings us to Flacco. Why is he out there taking reps from players who need them a lot more?

That question is mostly rhetorical. After trading for Pickett in March, the Browns signed Flacco in early April before knowing the opportunity to draft both Gabriel and Sanders would present itself. They were never going to cut him on account of two rookies who remain question marks. Besides, even the Browns have to give the impression of hope going into a new season, and Flacco provides the most as a chiseled vet and former Super Bowl champion.

But the reality is he's not good enough to elevate this team, which means he's only in the way. Even as the best QB on the roster, which isn't a high bar to clear. Pickett still has potential upside as a 27-year-old former first-round pick who the Browns gave up a fifth-rounder to acquire from the Eagles. The other two also have untapped potential. Especially Sanders, who was a projected first-round pick before sliding to the fifth and becoming un-passable for a team as QB-desperate as the Browns.

The Athletic's Zac Johnson wrote this morning that Flacco "has been up and down and has rarely strung completions together," which doesn't exactly sound like somebody head and shoulders above the competition. If anything, Flacco is just a good vet for the Browns to have during the preseason. Especially with Pickett now nursing a hamstring injury, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

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In a QB battle full of uncertainty, Flacco is the one known quantity. And what we know about him is enough to say he's not worth blocking opportunities for the others to play, show what they can do and grow. So, unless the Browns plan to trade Gabriel or Sanders, it wouldn't make much sense for them to keep Flacco into the regular season. In 2025, he doesn't need to be anything more than an insurance backup for a team actually playing for something.

Ichiro got jokes

The National Baseball Hall of Fame enshrined five new members Sunday, with Ichiro Suzuki, CC Sabathia, Billy Wagner, Dave Parker and Dick Allen all part of the 2025 class inducted into Cooperstown.

Ichiro used his speech to crack a few jokes, including one aimed at the lone voter who left Ichiro off his ballot.

I'm glad he made it a point to highlight the ridiculousness of one person (out of 394!) leaving him off the ballot, though I really wish Ichiro could've put a name on that zinger. Unfortunately, he couldn't because baseball writers don't have to make their ballots public, which is a shame. It's the exact reason Ichiro wasn't the first snub as a unanimous selection and he won't be the last.

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