Expectations were low when the Cleveland Browns pulled Joe Flacco off his couch to try and salvage the season following Deshaun Watson’s injury. This was a 38-year-old QB who hadn’t garnered any interest in free agency and hadn’t had any chemistry with the team’s receivers.
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Yet, Flacco quickly showed how valuable his experience could be, leading the Browns to a 4-1 record, helping them reach the playoffs for just the second time since 2003. While Flacco proved plenty capable over time, one of his teammates wasn’t sure about his new QB’s intentions when they first met.
David Njoku wasn’t sure about Joe Flacco, at first
Joe Flacco was signed to the Cleveland Browns’ practice squad on Nov. 20, with just seven games left in the regular season. While he played for several other teams in his career, Flacco’s most memorable moments came during his 11-year tenure with the Baltimore Ravens, where he became a Super Bowl MVP.
Flacco’s long history with the Ravens apparently led to some teammates, namely Pro Bowl tight end David Njoku to be skeptical of the QB’s intentions in Cleveland.
An undercover agent? Four years after his Ravens career ended? That’s just comical, but you can’t blame Njoku for having doubts, especially when there were other options on the roster, including Dorian Thompson-Robinson.
It’s easy to laugh about it all now, and chances are, if Flacco never found success, we never would have heard Njoku’s tale. But now it’s just another minor footnote to a magical season in Cleveland.
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