Joe Flacco has been here before — benched for a young quarterback after leading a struggling offensive unit.
But that experience doesn’t necessarily make things easier.
The Browns officially benched Flacco for Dillon Gabriel on Wednesday after starting the season 1-3 with the 40-year-old Flacco as QB1. Head coach Kevin Stefanski told reporters that the offense’s performance was not all on Flacco and that all parties need to perform better. But that is likely little consolation for Flacco, who previously helped lead Cleveland to the postseason in 2023.
“I don’t think I foresaw it,” Flacco said of his benching in his Wednesday press conference. “Listen, I think I said it on Sunday, anytime you’re in this league, everybody’s always getting evaluated. The job of the quarterback is to help your team win football games. So, I don’t know if I foresaw it coming, but listen, me and Kevin can have a good conversation. It’s not like anything that was super long or drawn out like that. But, got to the point, had a good conversation about it, and it is what it is.”
While losing the starting role is tough, Flacco noted that the team’s general offensive struggles were in some ways worse.
“I think the tougher thing is going through what we’ve gone through over the last four weeks, just not being able to produce the way we wanted to,” Flacco said. “When you’re in the moment and you’re having conversations with people, it is what it is. You look people in the eye and tell them how it is, and that’s what it is.”
So now the team will turn to Gabriel, with Flacco embracing his role as a veteran backup.
“I think the best way to help him is continue to come to work with a good mindset every day and provide that positive energy and see what he needs on his end,” Flacco said. “Listen, he’s into it, man. He’s ready to go. I’m sure he’s super excited about this opportunity. You can tell he takes it seriously just by the way he studies and his intent in the meeting rooms and on the practice field.”
Still, while Flacco is being a pro’s pro, it’s not the easiest thing to be benched — again.
“I think every situation is unique. And I think you do get emotional about it, so it’s tough to, in the moment, draw on those experiences,” Flacco said. “So, you just kind of go back to being yourself and relying on the people around you to help you cope with it a little bit.”
