The Bengals didn’t win the trade deadline but Joe Flacco sure did
The NFL trade deadline has come and gone and for the Cincinnati Bengals, it'll be looked at as a disappointment. The team sent Logan Wilson to the Dallas Cowboys a few hours before the deadline but otherwise, didn't make any other moves the day of.
Earlier in the season, Cincinnati traded for Joe Flacco, giving them much-needed quarterback help while Joe Burrow is out with a toe injury. Initially, fans might not have thought much of the Flacco acquisition but he's done his part since joining the team, throwing for 11 touchdowns against just two interceptions in his four starts with the Bengals.
NFL.com's Judy Battista wrote that Flacco's performance with his new team has given him a better reputation entering free agency next offseason and that makes him a winner from the trade deadline. It also makes him the Bengals' only winner from the trade deadline, which isn't something any of us expected.
"His trade, from Cleveland to Cincinnati, was one of the biggest surprises of the cycle -- why would Cleveland trade a quarterback to a reeling division rival? -- but for Joe Flacco, this was a clear win. At nearly 41 years old, Flacco has proven his value by keeping the Bengals competitive, throwing 11 touchdown passes and just two interceptions, and he's almost certainly shown enough to earn himself at least a backup job somewhere in the league next season."
Why Joe Flacco ended up the only Bengals winner of the trade deadline
Had Flacco not been traded to Cincinnati and was still with Cleveland, he'd likely be riding the bench behind rookie third-round pick Dillon Gabriel and his free agent stock would have been low. The chances of a team seeking him out in the offseason to bring him in after getting benched by a bad Browns team would be slim but that's not the case for the 40-year-old quarterback now.
Flacco, much like he did when he signed with Cleveland during the 2023 season, has shown why he can be a valuable quarterback on a roster. He's not Burrow or Josh Allen by any means but he can step in and lead a team that has the necessary pieces for him to succeed, which Cincinnati does.
Now, of course, Flacco could hit a wall and begin to struggle in the second half of the Bengals' 2025 season but, right now, he's easily the biggest (and only) trade deadline winner from this team.
Browns Give Emphatic Answer on Critical Dillon Gabriel Flaw
On Wednesday at Browns practice there was, no question, a reporter on hand who had an agenda–asking everyone in the orange-and-brown just how it is playing with a quarterback who is undersize. And coming out of college, that was the big flaw most scouts latched onto when it comes to Dillon Gabriel–he is just 5-foot-11 and 205 pounds and a wingspan of 73 inches.
Here’s what Pro Football Focus wrote coming out of the Combine last spring: “Gabriel’s measurables — height, weight, wingspan, hand size, etc. — are all in the 35th percentile or lower among quarterbacks. That’s quite a barrier to developing into a successful NFL signal-caller. He’ll be at a significant disadvantage, and some teams may even be scared off from drafting him.”
It’s only been four NFL games, but some of the concerns about Gabriel before the draft are clearly at play now that he is suiting up for the Browns. Basically, that the guy’s too short.
Browns ‘Would Not Characterize’ Dillon Gabriel Height as a Flaw
Of the three quarterbacks who were used, before the draft, in defense of Gabriel–Bryce Young, Russell Wilson and Kyler Murray, who are also under 6-feet in height–only Young still has his job. So it’s probably fair to wonder whether Gabriel’s just too short for this business.
Browns coach Kevin Stefanski was asked whether the problem of Gabriel’s height is showing up on game film. Stefasnki said no, but mostly dodged the issue.
“I understand the question, Tony (Grossi), but I would not characterize it that way,” he said. “We need to play better as an offense. Certainly, there’s areas to improve for a young quarterback, but it’s really on all of us to improve.”
Browns Jerry Jeudy Emphatic in Defense
The Browns can’t force Gabriel to grow three or four inches, of course. But it is impossible to say his height is not hindering him, even if the Browns refuse to acknowledge that. Scouts criticized Gabriel’s lack of deep-throw risks in college and attributed that to his height, and here in the NFL, he has thrown just six balls of 20-plus yards in four starts. There’s been only one completion, and one interception.
At Pro Football Focus, Gabriel has a grade of 46.5, which ranks No. 37 out of 37 graded QBs.
But it was clear that Browns players do not want to get into the business of criticizing Gabriel, even his height. Star receiver Jerry Jeudy was asked whether Gabriel can see his receivers well enough down the field, but Jeudy responded, flatly, “Yes.”
Dillon Gabriel: Deep Balls ‘Got to Happen’
Gabriel was not flatly asked about his height–he was asked that plenty of times before and after the Browns drafted him. But he was asked about the notion of being afraid to throw downfield, which some have directly linked to his lack of size and ability to see deep receivers.
The 1-for-6 number speaks for itself.
“I think there’s just a mixture of things that have to come together to make that happen, that’s myself included,” Gabriel said. “But you know, like we’ve talked about before, explosives, they got to happen. There’s certain categories within a game that you have to win and explosives and you know, being really good on first and second down so that you’re in some third-and-manageables and moving the chain, sustaining drives.
“So that’ll all contribute to that, but no uncomfortability like that’s something that we work on and want to continue to emphasize.”
