CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Joe Flacco signing by the Browns isn’t just about quarterback depth – it’s a complete organizational admission of the Deshaun Watson disaster, Terry Pluto said on the latest episode of the “Terry’s Talkin’” podcast.
“Well, let’s start with the deeper meaning first. What it meant was again, continue repudiation of the Watson era. This is really about that,” Pluto said.
The Browns’ return to Flacco represents a reversal from last season’s catastrophic decision-making. After watching a team with four different quarterbacks win 11 games in 2023, Cleveland dismantled a functional offense to accommodate Watson’s play style, Pluto said.
“You took a team that was with four different quarterbacks and won 11 games that was 10th in scoring, and you ripped up the whole coaching staff and you ripped up the whole way you did offense because you’re trying to salvage something from Watson,” Pluto explained.
The result? A disastrous 3-14 season and a complete offensive collapse, plummeting from 10th to 32nd in scoring.
“Why did we break something that was not broken? And why do we why did we try to fix something that was already fixed?” Pluto said. “If you’re 10th in scoring, you’re set.”
Flacco’s return signals a clear organizational pivot back to Kevin Stefanski’s system. It’s a system where Flacco thrived in 2023, and Pluto said if the Browns draft Colorado Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter on Thursday, it could put some sizzle back into the Browns offense.
“I’ll tell you this, if you’re facing Joe Flacco and he’s got Hunter and Jerry Jeudy and you’re a defensive coordinator, that’s going to keep you up at night,” Pluto said.
“And then if you have healthy Njoku and then you draft a running back and you come back with, you know, a couple of the guys they have here and you go back to actually zone blocking… I’m not saying Super Bowl, but it’s like this. It was just inexcusable what happened last year.”
The pattern is undeniable, Pluto said: Stefanski has consistently elevated quarterback play throughout his coaching career. Jacoby Brissett had his best season under Stefanski. Baker Mayfield thrived in 2020 until injuries derailed his career. Case Keenum went 12-3 as a starter in Minnesota with Stefanski as his coach.
“Other than Deshaun, I mean, I’m not counting DTR, these marginal guys, you know, when he’s had like, ‘real quarterbacks,’ they’ve done well and he’s adjusted their system,” Pluto said.
The decision to bring Flacco back isn’t just about one player – it’s about a complete philosophical reset. It signals the Browns are returning to what worked, abandoning their ill-fated attempt to build around Watson.
With a potential offensive core featuring Flacco, Jerry Judy, and possibly draft sensation Travis Hunter, Cleveland is restoring what Pluto calls “sizzle” to an offense that desperately needs it.
“Part of the… I was told by one of the… obviously it’s not from the football end of it, but one of the things that they talked about internally of the Browns was they thought that having Deshaun Watson would have raised the excitement level and the entertainment level because of how he played,” Pluto revealed. “But they were awful. They were boring, they were terrible.”
