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The Cincinnati Bengals have acquired quarterback Joe Flacco from the rival Cleveland Browns, as confirmed by Cleveland.
Flacco will be heading south on I-71 to the needy Bengals who stand at the crossroads of their season being salvaged or scrapped.
The trade will see a fifth-round pick sent to Cleveland while Flacco and a sixth-round pick move to Cincinnati.
It’s a shocking move considering Flacco’s history against the Bengals, his horrific performance to start the season, and how desperate Cincinnati is to get their season back on the right track.
Over the summer, the Bengals spent $41.75million on free agents. They also handed out $305million worth of extensions to pass rusher Trey Hendrickson and wide receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins.
Yet, their offensive line – which has given fans fits for years – once again failed to protect superstar quarterback Joe Burrow, who will miss nearly all of the season due to an injury.
The Cincinnati Bengals have acquired Joe Flacco and a sixth-round pick for a fifth-round pick
Cincinnati was desperate to make a move after struggling in the absence of injured Joe Burrow
After four games of sub-par performances from backup quarterback Jake Browning, the Bengals are acquiring the 40-year-old Flacco – who has a worse QBR and a worse TD-INT ratio than Browning.
Deputizing for Burrow, Browning has a QBR of 35.3, completed 64.5 percent of his passes, and tossed for six touchdowns and eight interceptions.
On the other hand, Flacco has thrown for 815 yards – but has six interceptions, a worse QBR (27.6) and fewer touchdowns (two).
Flacco’s best game of the season so far was his start against, ironically, Cincinnati. But even then, despite tossing for 290 yards, he managed just one touchdown while coughing up two interceptions in a 17-16 loss.
This is the fifth team that Flacco has played on in his NFL career and the third team he’s played on in the AFC North. Flacco made a name for himself with the Ravens, where he won a Super Bowl.
After this trade, it’s projected that Flacco will be given the start this Sunday against the Green Bay Packers. Meanwhile, Browning will slide back to the backup spot while Brett Rypien will remain in the third-string.
Back on the shores of Lake Erie, the Browns went from a preseason where they were criticized for their gluttonous amount of quarterbacks to now just having two on their main roster.
In his stead, Jake Browning has not been much of an improvement after a summer of spending
After losing Deshaun Watson to injury, cutting Kenny Pickett, and now trading Flacco, the only two remaining quarterbacks on the Browns roster are their two rookies: Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders.
Gabriel impressed in his first NFL start with 209 yards passing and three touchdowns in a close 21-17 loss to the Minnesota Vikings in London.
Meanwhile, Sanders has continued to be a lightning rod for controversy and criticism – including last week, when he only mouthed the answers to questions he was asked without actually speaking.
If they don’t sign another quarterback, the Browns may likely promote practice squad quarterback Bailey Zappe to the main roster.
The Browns hit the road this weekend to take on the Pittsburgh Steelers.
