Kevin Stefanski on Monday named Joe Flacco his Week 1 starter against the Bengals Sept. 7 at Huntington Bank Field. If all goes well, Flacco will play well enough to lead the Browns to the playoffs like he did that magical season of 2023 when he went 4-1 down the stretch, lighting up the scoreboard with Amari Cooper and others.

Cleveland named Joe Flacco the starting quarterback Monday. “Joe Cool leading the way,” the Browns official account wrote on X, adding a saluting face emoji. It took any remaining drama out of the unique quarterback competition that included Kenny Pickett and two rookies in Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders.