Call me crazy, but here we go again with the Browns. They’ve re-signed Joe Flacco, and he was awfully productive in that offense at the end of the 2023 season.
It’s an organization with its flaws, and the roster isn’t very good. They have the GDP of a small country tied up in Deshaun Watson, and he’ll probably never step on a field again.
But Kevin Stefanski knows how to put an offense together, and he’s shown he can successfully work with a veteran quarterback. Flacco in the last five games of the 2023 season averaged 323 passing yards, with 13 touchdowns.
Jameis Winston came off the bench last year and did something similar, averaging 291 passing yards, with 12 TDs.
Only three quarterbacks in the last two years have averaged over 290 passing yards, and the Browns have two of them.
And Flacco had a similar kind of season for the Colts last year, averaging 266 passing yards while filling in for Anthony Richardson.
To further bolster the case, let the record show that Jacoby Brissett played surprisingly well for Stefanski back in 2022, averaging 237 passing yards in his 11 starts. (The only quarterback who can’t produce for Stefanski, it seems, is Watson.)
Now, I’m not suggesting anyone select Flacco in their fantasy league. But this signing makes me feel a whole lot better about guys like David Njoku and Jerry Jeudy. They’ll also probably be drafting Travis Hunter, and I imagine he’ll be chipping in some big plays.
QUARTERBACKS AVERAGING 250 PASSING YARDS | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Year | Player | St | Yards | TDP | Int |
2023 | Joe Flacco, Cle. | 5 | 323.2 | 2.60 | 1.60 |
2023 | Kirk Cousins, Min. | 8 | 291.4 | 2.25 | .63 |
2024 | • Jameis Winston, Cle. | 7 | 291.1 | 1.71 | 1.71 |
2024 | Joe Burrow, Cin. | 17 | 289.3 | 2.53 | .53 |
2023 | C.J. Stroud, Hou. | 15 | 273.9 | 1.53 | .33 |
2024 | Jared Goff, Det. | 17 | 272.3 | 2.18 | .71 |
2023 | Tua Tagovailoa, Mia. | 17 | 272.0 | 1.71 | .82 |
2023 | Jared Goff, Det. | 17 | 269.1 | 1.76 | .71 |
2023 | Brock Purdy, S.F. | 16 | 267.5 | 1.94 | .69 |
2023 | Jake Browning, Cin. | 7 | 266.9 | 1.57 | 1.00 |
2023 | Dak Prescott, Dall. | 17 | 265.6 | 2.12 | .53 |
2024 | Joe Flacco, Ind. | 6 | 265.5 | 1.67 | 1.17 |
2024 | Baker Mayfield, T.B. | 17 | 264.7 | 2.41 | .94 |
2023 | Matthew Stafford, LAR | 15 | 264.3 | 1.60 | .73 |
2023 | Patrick Mahomes, K.C. | 16 | 261.4 | 1.69 | .88 |
2024 | Tua Tagovailoa, Mia. | 11 | 260.6 | 1.73 | .64 |
2024 | Brock Purdy, S.F. | 15 | 257.6 | 1.33 | .80 |
2024 | Geno Smith, Sea. | 17 | 254.1 | 1.24 | .88 |
2024 | Sam Darnold, Min. | 17 | 254.1 | 2.06 | .71 |
2023 | Josh Allen, Buff. | 17 | 253.3 | 1.71 | 1.06 |
2023 | Trevor Lawrence, Jac. | 16 | 251.0 | 1.31 | .88 |
2024 | Kirk Cousins, Atl. | 14 | 250.6 | 1.29 | 1.14 |
—Ian Allan