The NFL world was stunned on Tuesday after news broke of Joe Flacco’s trade to the Cincinnati Bengals. Kevin Stefanski lost his QB1 from the early weeks of the season, and now he’ll have to place his trust in Dillon Gabriel moving forward.
The serious injury suffered by Joe Burrow in Week 2 forced the Bengals to quickly search for a high-caliber quarterback to replace him — and all signs pointed directly to their divisional rival in the AFC North.
When recently asked by the media about this last-minute move, Stefanski admitted he was still in disbelief, implying that the team had indeed counted on Flacco for this season.
“First [thing] I’d tell you is the Joe trade took us by surprise,” Stefanski said during his press conference. “That was not something that we saw coming.”
Head coach Kevin Stefanski of the Cleveland Browns speaks with Joe Flacco.
“Obviously, AB (Andrew Berry) makes those decisions,” the HC also added. “I trust AB. We talk about every decision we make. They wanted Joe. They made the phone call. Obviously, it gives Joe an opportunity to go play again. But, I trust in our decisions. [We] talk through all those things. I would let Andrew speak to that. I don’t want to speak for him. But I trust in his decisions.”
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Thinking about what’s next
Stefanski’s words made clear his frustration over losing Flacco this season; however, he had nothing but gratitude for him and knows that now the focus is on the upcoming game.
“Joe and I had a lot of conversations, I’ll keep those private,” Stefanski said. “Obviously, he’s somebody that we, in this building, think very highly of — think highly of the person, think highly of the player. Disappointed in where we are as a team, of course. But hopeful for him. But really, our focus turns to what’s in front of us, which is Steelers week.”
What’s next for the Browns?
Looking toward the near future, here are the upcoming games the Browns will face to get their NFL season back on track:
- @ Pittsburgh Steelers, October 12
- vs Miami Dolphins, October 19
- @ New England Patriots, October 26
- Bye Week
- @ New York Jets, November 9
