Then-Browns quarterback Joe Flacco started a Week 1 loss to the Bengals, but will be the starter in Cincinnati now after a midseason, intra-Ohio trade.
Then-Browns quarterback Joe Flacco started a Week 1 loss to the Bengals, but will be the starter in Cincinnati now after a midseason, intra-Ohio trade.Kirk Irwin/Associated Press
Browns general manager Andrew Berry was minding his business Tuesday when he got a call from Duke Tobin, his Bengals counterpart.
If you guys aren’t using Joe Flacco, do you mind if we take him as our starting quarterback?
The Browns weren’t expecting the question, and Flacco has no relationship with Tobin or Bengals coach Zac Taylor.
The Bengals (2-3) just knew that Flacco, 40, was the best choice to save their season from slipping away.
“I don’t know him personally,” Taylor said. “Met him once before he came here. But know his game, played against him I don’t know how many times. Brings great experience, great leadership, his style fits our style of play, too. He seemed genuinely excited when I spoke to him on the phone for the first time.”
The trade, Flacco and a sixth-round draft pick for a fifth-rounder, is unprecedented: It’s the first between the teams since the Browns were reborn in 1999. It’s also the first in-season trade of a quarterback between division rivals since at least 1995. And Flacco will become the first quarterback to play for the Ravens, Browns, and Bengals.
But all sides quickly said yes. The Browns didn’t get much, but they reduced the quarterback crunch on the roster and will give more reps to youngsters Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders.
For Flacco, the Bengals provide a great opportunity for one last shot at glory after he was benched in Cleveland. Though Flacco struggled in four starts this year in Cleveland, throwing two touchdowns against six interceptions as the Browns went 1-3, now he’ll be throwing to Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins.
“Crazy business,” Flacco said Friday. “Definitely didn’t have this on my list of things that were going to happen, but hey, that’s this league. I think most players would say the same thing — I like to play football, and if that’s in Cincinnati right now, I’m all for it.”
The Bengals decided Flacco, who will be starting a game for his sixth NFL team, was the best choice to learn their offense quickly and effectively. Taylor said Flacco still has an elite arm and plenty of experience in similar offensive systems.
“That’s why we like him and why we brought him in,” Taylor said. “He fits what we do, and you don’t have to change much. Now you just have to get him up to speed with the full scope of what we have in our arsenal.”
The Bengals had to make a move, with a 2-0 start turning to 2-3 thanks to a long-term toe injury to Joe Burrow and ineffective play by Jake Browning, who threw eight interceptions and lost his three starts by an average of 25 points.
But the Bengals are still in second place in the AFC North and eighth place in the conference, and Flacco has a history of providing a spark. Two years ago, he joined the Browns in December, became the starter in his second week, and led a 4-1 finish to produce a spot in the playoffs.
“I think everyone’s just seen him been there and do that, won a Super Bowl and a lot of games and been successful in a lot of different places,” Taylor said. “When you bring a guy in here with that experience and those skins on the wall, I think it’s significant.”
Flacco was still catching up on sleep from the Browns’ weekend trip to London on Tuesday when he got the call. The Bengals sent a car to drive Flacco and his wife about five hours from Cleveland to Cincinnati the same day, and Flacco spent part of the ride on the phone with Taylor going over the basics of the Bengals’ offense and protection schemes. That night at the facility, Flacco got a crash course in the run game, and Wednesday through Friday he took every rep in practice to get ready for Sunday’s game at Green Bay.
“I appreciate the organization trying to make it work,” Chase said Thursday. “He calls the plays a little fast, so that was something new just hearing. But other than that, he’s pretty smooth, he knows the ins and outs.”
The Bengals’ opponent this Sunday also works in Flacco’s favor. Flacco played the Packers three weeks ago in a 13-10 upset win for the Browns, so he is familiar with their scheme and personnel. Flacco threw for just 142 yards and an interception.
“The communication and the weekly rhythm is maybe unique, but he’s already prepared for this opponent,” Taylor said.
Flacco doesn’t need this, of course. He’s a Super Bowl MVP with 200 games under his belt, plenty of money and a family at home, but is still in love with football. Since 2019, Flacco has bounced from the Broncos to the Jets to the Browns to the Colts back to the Browns and now the Bengals.
“I hopefully will have a long life when I’m done, but you only get a chance to play in the NFL once, and I don’t want to take that for granted,” Flacco said. “I still feel like I can play this game at a high level. I want to be able to look at myself in the mirror when I’m 50 years old and be able to say I gave it everything I have.”
Shedeur Sanders (12) will back up starting quarterback Dillon Gabriel (5) for the Browns on Sunday.
Shedeur Sanders (12) will back up starting quarterback Dillon Gabriel (5) for the Browns on Sunday.Nick Cammett/Getty
Back in Cleveland
QB plans change on the regular
The Joe Flacco trade raises an important question for the Browns: Do they have any plan at quarterback, or do they just wing it?
The trade does make sense in that the 1-3 Browns are probably going nowhere this year, and Flacco was getting in the way of rookies Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders.
On Friday, coach Kevin Stefanski named Sanders the backup, with veteran Bailey Zappe at third string on the practice squad.
But the Browns seem to change their plan every week at the most important position.
They gave at least half of their training camp reps to two quarterbacks who are no longer with the team (Flacco and Kenny Pickett). They also drafted two rookie quarterbacks when they needed one.
Trading Flacco wasn’t part of some grand plan, either. Stefanski said Wednesday the trade “was not something that we saw coming. You know, they called us, and it happened very fast.”
But it’s not like this was an offer the Browns couldn’t refuse. All they received was a Day 3 pick swap. The Browns did lessen the crunch in the quarterback room, but now their depth chart is ripe for controversy. The minute Gabriel struggles, fans and media will be howling to see what Sanders can do. The Browns also have Deshaun Watson looming in the background, recovering from a torn Achilles’.
Stefanski said he trusts general manager Andrew Berry.
“We talk about every decision we make,” he said. “Obviously, it gives Joe an opportunity to go play again, but I trust in our decisions.”
Whatever the Browns’ plan is, it surely will change soon.
Catching on in K.C.
Thornton makes most of opportunity
One of the best stories of the young season is Chiefs receiver Tyquan Thornton, the Patriots’ second-round pick from 2022.
Thornton struggled with injuries and inconsistency during 2½ seasons in New England, playing in 28 games and totaling just 385 yards and two touchdowns. The Patriots released Thornton last November even though they weren’t deep at receiver, and it barely registered when he signed to the Chiefs’ practice squad three days later.
Tyquan Thornton has 13 catches for 272 yards and three touchdowns so far this season, leading the NFL in yards per catch.
Tyquan Thornton has 13 catches for 272 yards and three touchdowns so far this season, leading the NFL in yards per catch.Phelan M. Ebenhack/Associated Press
But Bill Belichick put in a good word for Thornton to Andy Reid, and the Chiefs grew tantalized by his speed. Thornton won a roster spot this year, and has found himself in the middle of the offense thanks to Rashee Rice’s suspension and Xavier Worthy’s shoulder injury.
In five games Thornton has 13 catches for 272 yards and three touchdowns, leading the NFL in both yards per catch (20.9 yards) and average air yards per target (23.5, the only player over 20).
And did you see Thornton’s hustle Monday night in Jacksonville on Devin Lloyd’s 99-yard pick-6? Thornton didn’t quite catch Lloyd from behind, but he did his best Ben Watson routine, huffing 130 yards down-field and refusing to give up on the play.
Tyquan Thornton gave everything he had 😅 @Humble_Ty19 pic.twitter.com/uP9tzKmorE
— NFL (@NFL) October 8, 2025
Thornton recently said he has had to rebuild his confidence after his New England experience.
“I remember not having the best game of my career, being a young player, going on Twitter and seeing the media just beating you up, beating you up, beating you up,” he said. “Being a young player, I’d give you the advice, if you’re not doing well, don’t look at Twitter at all.”
Patriots-Saints
Maye takes blame for high sack total
A few notes ahead of Sunday’s Patriots-Saints game:
▪ Drake Maye has taken 17 sacks this year, second-most in the NFL. But he has only lost 54 yards, tied for 18th most. Maye said Wednesday the sacks are on him, not the offensive line.
“I joke with them all the time — I think the sacks I’ve taken have been basically on me,” Maye said. “The guys up front are playing their butts off. They’re protecting me great.”
▪ Sunday’s game could be a good opportunity for Maye to have a clean day. Per NFL Next Gen Stats, the Saints have pressured quarterbacks just 25.4 percent of the time, the second-lowest rate in the NFL, even though they have called the 10th-most blitzes (32.2 percent). The blitzes haven’t been getting home, with the Saints generating pressure on just 28.1 percent, the third-lowest rate in the league.
Maye has thrived with a clean pocket this year, throwing for 904 yards (seventh-most) and all seven of his touchdowns.
▪ Sunday’s game could become a track meet when the punt teams take the field. The Patriots’ Marcus Jones already has an 87-yard touchdown return and leads the NFL in punt return average by a wide margin – 25.3 yards per return, nearly five yards higher than the next returners (20.8).
Saints returner Rashid Shaheed doesn’t qualify for the leaderboard since he only has six returns, but he would rank No. 8 with a 15.2 average, and he has returned a punt for a touchdown in each of the last two seasons.
Emotional aftermath
Giants’ Daboll misses badly with Dart
The Giants pulled off an impressive win over the Eagles on Thursday, but coach Brian Daboll was conciliatory at his postgame press conference for the way he chewed out the Giants’ head physician during the third-quarter concussion test for QB Jaxson Dart.
“There’s a lot of emotions, and I certainly am an emotional guy,” Daboll said. “I apologized directly to our team physician. … We were getting ready to go for it on a potential fourth down. I would have burned a timeout if he could have came out there. So I was asking how long is it going to take? … So, I love our doctors. I apologize, I was in the wrong.”
Daboll, though, has to find a way to check his emotions. Hounding the doctor about the speed of the concussion test was wholly inappropriate, as was entering the blue injury tent, which is against NFL rules.
The league said Friday it is looking into the matter along with the NFL Players Association. Given the dangers of concussions and the bad optics of the situation, the NFL needs to fine Daboll and the Giants to send a message to all 32 teams to stay out and let the doctors do their work.
Enough already
Jones tires of old Saban take
While praising Mac Jones’s recent play last week, former Alabama coach Nick Saban again told the story of how he used to call the quarterback “McEnroe” because of his fiery temper. Jones is pretty tired of it.
“Yeah, I need to call him because I thought we graduated from that,” Jones said Thursday as the 49ers prepared to face the Buccaneers. “He brings that one up every year. I’m like, ‘Coach Saban, get a new joke or something [laughs].’
“I hope the next time he talks about it, he’ll talk about the progress I made from my freshman to my sophomore year just working with different people on staff, doctors and whatnot and just meeting with people and having these conversations about how can I get my mental game better and really just playing each play at one play at a time. That’s what he preached. There’s a guy named, he’s the ‘Wizard,’ [Michigan State professor Lionel]Rosen he worked with him at Michigan State. So, I got to meet with him and that kind of helped me really get my mental game going and kind of just play each play at one play at a time and not show emotion like that. And I really graduated from that. So, he can stop saying that.“
Extra points
If you’re an NFL coach in 2025, you better be coaching aggressively on fourth down. Through five weeks, the NFL had a record 225 fourth-down attempts, up from 140 in 2015. Teams have never been better at going for it, with a 60.9 percent success rate so far that is the best in history through five weeks. That’s up from 56.8 percent last year, and 46 percent as recently as 2017 … That two-hour meeting between Jalen Hurts, A.J. Brown, and Saquon Barkley didn’t seem to do much good. The Eagles went 1 for 9 on third down in Thursday’s loss to the Giants, and have been outgained in every game this year. They need to recommit to the run game with Barkley carrying the ball just 18 times the last two games … Devin Lloyd has four interceptions in the Jaguars’ first five games, joining the Bills’ Kiko Alonso (2013) and Buccaneers’ Derrick Brooks (2002) as the only linebackers this century to do so … Before Monday’s loss to the Jaguars, the Chiefs had won 23 straight games in which they held a 14-point lead … Sean Payton had one rule this week as he brought his Broncos to the United Kingdom for seven days to prepare for Sunday’s game against the Jets in London: “No sightseeing,” the coach said. “It’s going to be exactly like a practice week. We’re staying in the middle of nowhere, no sightseeing.” The Broncos stayed in Ware, England, about an hour north of central London. Payton, who went 2-0 in London with the Saints, speaks from experience. In 2008, tight end Jeremy Shockey “tried to get all the passports and take the team to Amsterdam,” Payton said. “So we put the kibosh on that.”
Ben Volin can be reached at ben.volin@globe.com.