Tomlin questions Browns' trade of Flacco to Cincy

PITTSBURGH -- In an antithetic move, Pittsburgh Steelers manager Mike Tomlin openly questioned the Cleveland Browns and wide manager Andrew Berry for the determination to execute a midseason commercialized sending backmost Joe Flacco to the Cincinnati Bengals.

"To beryllium honest, it was shocking to me," Tomlin said Monday. "Andrew Berry indispensable beryllium a batch smarter than maine oregon america due to the fact that it doesn't marque consciousness to maine to commercialized a backmost that you deliberation capable of to marque your opening time starter to a part hostile that's hurting successful that area, but that's conscionable my idiosyncratic feelings."

Tomlin doesn't often question oregon knock teams oregon their unit successful his quality conferences, making Monday's effect to a question astir Flacco's commercialized surprising.

Tomlin's comments travel a time aft the Steelers (4-1) bushed the Browns and rookie backmost Dillon Gabriel 23-9 and conscionable 4 days earlier facing the Bengals successful a primetime crippled successful Cincinnati connected Thursday night.

The Browns traded the 40-year-old Flacco, who started the archetypal 4 games of the play for Cleveland aft signing a one-year declaration arsenic a escaped cause successful the offseason, and a 2026 sixth-round prime to Cincinnati for a 2026 fifth-round prime connected Oct. 7. The Browns, then, were near with a brace of rookies astatine backmost successful Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders. The Bengals added Flacco to instrumentality implicit for Jake Browning, who struggled with six touchdowns to 8 interceptions since taking implicit for Joe Burrow pursuing his Week 2 turf toed injury.

And portion Tomlin questioned the commercialized from Cleveland's perspective, erstwhile asked if Flacco fits with what Bengals manager Zac Taylor wants to bash with the offense, the Steelers manager acknowledged it was a bully determination by Cincinnati.

"It surely made consciousness from Cincinnati's perspective," Tomlin said. "... He tin propulsion the football, and he's ever been capable to propulsion the shot limb strength, limb accuracy, anticipatory passer, fluid question done progressions. That's ever been his game."

Not everyone successful Pittsburgh, though, was amazed by the Flacco trade.

"I'm being honest, I wasn't amazed astir the Flacco move," said Brown-turned-Steeler Juan Thornhill aft Sunday's win. "They took him retired of there, they benched him, truthful I felt similar it was adjacent antheral up. They were benignant of done with them. I've been implicit determination before. I've seen that representation before. Once they seat you, you're not getting backmost successful there, and I felt similar they had an accidental possibly to get thing retired of Flacco, truthful they sent him to Cincinnati.

"I'm excited to play Flacco, man. He's a large guy."

Tomlin astir precocious faced Flacco past play erstwhile the seasoned took implicit for injured Indianapolis Colts starter Anthony Richardson Sr. successful the archetypal 4th and went connected to bushed the Steelers 27-24. Flacco completed 16 of 26 attempts for 168 yards and 2 touchdowns.

In his appraisal of seasoned backmost Read Entire Article