Can Joe Flacco stop Bengals' slide? How does trade impact Dillon Gabriel, Shedeur Sanders?

The Cincinnati Bengals acquired seasoned backmost Joe Flacco from the Cleveland Browns connected Tuesday, 2 days aft Bengals manager Zac Taylor was noncommittal connected Jake Browning's presumption arsenic the starting quarterback. The Bengals person been seeking semipermanent assistance nether halfway since Joe Burrow suffered a toed wounded successful Week 2.

But is Flacco the reply to helping Cincinnati drawback a three-game losing streak and support its playoff hopes alive?

The Browns had brought Flacco backmost this past offseason to supply seasoned enactment to a crowded backmost country that besides included rookies Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders. The 18-year seasoned started Cleveland's archetypal 4 games -- going 1-3 -- earlier being replaced by Gabriel successful Sunday's nonaccomplishment to the Minnesota Vikings.

It was a astonishing commercialized considering it was the archetypal betwixt the teams since the Browns returned to the NFL successful 1999. And it was the archetypal intradivision, in-season commercialized involving a backmost since 1990, according to ESPN Research.

ESPN insiders Ben Baby, Daniel Oyefusi, Jeremy Fowler and Eric Moody interruption down whether Flacco tin support the Bengals successful contention until Burrow returns, what it means for the Browns QB room, phantasy implications and more.

Can Flacco support the Bengals afloat until Joe Burrow returns?

Baby: That's the hope, right? But for that to happen, Flacco has to beryllium amended than helium was earlier this play successful Cleveland. Flacco notably threw 2 interceptions successful a 17-16 nonaccomplishment against the Bengals successful the play opener connected Sept. 7, including 1 precocious successful the crippled arsenic the Browns tried to equine a melodramatic comeback.

On paper, Flacco makes sense. He is simply a seasoned seasoned who tin instantly tally a mentation of Taylor's offense. But helium besides presents galore of the aforesaid problems that plagued Browning.

Browning is 2nd successful the NFL with 8 interceptions. Flacco is 3rd with six. Browning is ranked higher than Flacco successful Total QBR, who is next-to-last successful the league successful that class (27.6).

Even though Flacco is simply a splashy sanction who has played good arsenic precocious arsenic 2023 erstwhile helium was the Comeback Player of the Year with Cleveland, the Bengals volition request the champion mentation of the 40-year-old backmost if they privation to triumph capable games to dependable their play earlier Burrow is disposable to return. Cincinnati inactive has not established a timetable for Burrow's return. Sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter that Burrow is expected to miss astatine slightest 3 months. However, Taylor has yet to regularisation Burrow retired for the remainder of the season.

How does this determination interaction Gabriel, Sanders and the Browns' outlook connected their 2 first-round draught picks successful 2026?

Oyefusi: The Browns moved to Gabriel arsenic their starting QB past week, and the remainder of the play seemingly serves arsenic an audition for not lone him but Sanders, who has been the No. 3 and exigency QB since Week 1.

Browns proprietor Jimmy Haslam said astatine the opening of grooming campy successful precocious July that it's "absolutely" important for the squad to measure some rookies connected the tract earlier the 2026 NFL draft, erstwhile the Browns person their ain first-round prime and the Jacksonville Jaguars' first-rounder.

"[Head coach] Kevin [Stefanski] is alert of that, helium knows however important backmost is, and helium and [general manager] Andrew [Berry] speech astir those kinds of things each the time," Haslam said. "It's a daily, ongoing conversation."

Trading Flacco opens the doorway for Sanders to beryllium the team's backup, but Cleveland besides has Read Entire Article