The Cleveland Browns made one of many extra stunning in-season NFL trades in current reminiscence on Oct. 7 once they agreed to ship veteran quarterback Joe Flacco and a 2026 sixth-round draft choose to the Cincinnati Bengals for a 2026 fifth-round choice.
Flacco started Cincinnati’s recreation on the Green Bay Packers on Sunday and handed for 219 yards with two touchdowns in a 27-18 loss that dropped the Bengals to 2-4 on the season. The 40-year-old is now on observe to start out when Cincinnati hosts the division-rival Pittsburgh Steelers (4-1) this coming Thursday night time.
Whereas talking with reporters on Monday, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin addressed Browns common supervisor Andrew Berry buying and selling his membership’s Week 1 QB1 to an AFC North foe in the course of a marketing campaign.
Mike Tomlin does not admire Browns doing Bengals a strong
“To be sincere, it was surprising to me,” Tomlin stated, per Brendan Howe of Steelers Now. “Andrew Berry should be so much smarter than me or us. As a result of it doesn’t make sense to me to commerce a quarterback that you just suppose sufficient of to make your opening day starter to a division opponent that’s hurting in that space. However that’s simply my private emotions.”
The Bengals misplaced starter Joe Burrow to a toe damage in Week 2, and non permanent alternative Jake Browning performed poorly throughout three straight defeats earlier than Cincinnati acquired Flacco. In the meantime, the Browns misplaced three of 4 September video games earlier than they benched Flacco in favor of rookie Dillon Gabriel. Gabriel has since dropped back-to-back begins, together with a 23-9 loss handed to the Browns by the Steelers on Sunday afternoon.
Flacco’s two landing passes in opposition to the Packers occurred within the second half of that recreation, which might point out he grew extra comfy focusing on his new teammates with every drive. On Monday, Tomlin urged he expects Flacco will make issues troublesome for the Pittsburgh protection at Paycor Stadium on Thursday night.
Buying Joe Flacco “definitely made sense from Cincinnati’s perspective”
“It definitely made sense from Cincinnati’s perspective,” Tomlin added. “He can throw the soccer, and he’s at all times been capable of throw the soccer. Arm energy, arm accuracy, anticipatory passer, fluid motion via progressions, that’s at all times been his recreation.”
As of Monday afternoon, ESPN BET had the Steelers as 5.5-point street favorites for the Week 7 “Thursday Night time Soccer” recreation. One wonders what Tomlin must say about Berry and the Browns if Flacco turns the clock again and torches the Steelers throughout what turns into a Cincinnati win.
