Browns QB competition: Joe Flacco focused on winning starting job, not sympathizing with injured teammates

PHILADELPHIA -- Injuries have derailed the most exciting -- or depressing -- quarterback competition in the NFL, pending how one looks at the state of the Cleveland Browns. 

Kenny Pickett and Dillon Gabriel have missed practices with hamstring issues. The Browns, who once had four quarterbacks vying for the starting job, had to sign Tyler Huntley just to have enough signal-callers take a snap in a preseason game.

As Pickett and Gabriel slowly have worked their way back to the practice field, Shedeur Sanders suffered an oblique injury in the individual period of Wednesday's joint practice with the Philadelphia Eagles -- right when Browns coach Kevin Stefanski was set to give the exciting rookie first-team reps against the best defense in the NFL from a season ago. 

Three of the four quarterbacks in the ongoing competition have missed practice with injuries, except one: 40-year-old Joe Flacco. 

"I think you can probably sit up at night and think about different ways to approach these types of things, but all I'm doing is going out there and trying to take advantage of whatever I'm doing," Flacco said. "The last couple weeks, honestly it's been pretty good for me. I've got to get more reps and get comfortable and feel like I'm doing things at a pretty high level. So, I can't complain."

No sympathy on the field in battle

Injuries to others have been Flacco's gain in this four-horse race for the starting quarterback job. Flacco has benefitted from the hamstring injuries to Pickett and Gabriel, taking more first-team reps as they sat out. Sanders also had risen his stock from the injuries, having a strong performance in the preseason opener against the Carolina Panthers last Friday. 

Sanders appeared primed to take some of those first-team reps from Flacco, before the injury bug bit him during Wednesday's joint practice with the Eagles. During the individual period, Sanders injured his oblique and was forced to sit out the remainder of practice -- leaving the majority of the first-team reps to Flacco. 

As quarterbacks fall by the wayside, Flacco isn't feeling any sympathy with the on-field competition. 

"I don't know, what can I do? 'Oh, sorry, man.' It's tough," Flacco said. "We all want to be out there getting reps, but hey, that's what training camp and football is all about. Sometimes these things happen. 

"Sometimes you've got to deal with them, and it is what it is."

Flacco was referring to Sanders' oblique injury when he told him about the situation in practice. In natural fashion, the 18-year veteran quarterback was asked about Gabriel returning from his hamstring injury. 

There was little remorse. 

"You guys like to ask me about these guys and what if I just said (what he's really thinking)," Flacco said with a smile, followed by a series of laughs. "Honestly, though, we're in that room together and we're all doing things together, but when it comes out in this field, I'm not super worried about what Dillon's doing to get back from his hamstring." 

The Browns quarterback room is a tight-knit group, don't get it misconstrued. All four quarterbacks are fighting to be the starting quarterback of this football team, an opportunity to prove they are one of the top signal-callers in the league. 

Gabriel and Sanders see a golden opportunity, but they haven't been able to prove themselves by standing on the sidelines taking the mental reps. They know time is of the essence, but so does Flacco. 

The best advice Flacco can give them?

"Anytime that when you're young and you're in a quarterback room that is having a competition, and you don't get to be out there every day, that's tough," Flacco said. "My message to him would just be, 'hey, don't press. Just go out there and be yourself.' Just because you missed a little bit of time here and there, that doesn't mean that you have to go out and do extra when you get out there. 

"Just go play your game. If there was a message for him, that would be it."

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The importance of continuity 

As the Browns watch the Eagles operate in the joint practice, the most noticeable difference between the two teams is the quarterback play. The Eagles have one of the game's top quarterbacks in Jalen Hurts, who is coming off a Super Bowl MVP and his team winning the last 14 games he has started and finished. 

Hurts is not only an established starter in the league, he's one of the game's best. The Browns don't have that at the moment, nor a quarterback they know who's getting the ball in Week 1.

Time is running out. Week 1 preparations are starting around the league, especially for those teams with established quarterbacks. 

The Browns need to make a decision on their starter soon, no matter how injuries have affected the competition. 

"It's obviously advantageous to have a guy back there 90% of the time, and you get going with everybody," Flacco said. "You get to hear the cadence, you get to see how he operates and see how he does through tough times and good times. That's all great, but in this league, the situation isn't always just laid out for you perfectly. 

"You've got to be able to adapt, and there's no excuses. Once it all starts, it's about winning football games no matter what, and that's the way I approach it."

Obviously, Flacco knows better than anyone on the roster how important having a set starter is. There's little he can do about what's going on around him. 

Just take it day by day. Practice by practice. The situation will come to a head at some point. 

"I'm preparing as normal, training camp as normal. Whenever I get the rep, go out there and do the best you can," Flacco said. "Kevin's Kevin, man. He's the one in charge, and I'm not really looking into when he's going to do things and why he's going to do things. 

"As I've said, I'm just kind of going out there and being myself and feel really confident about what I've been doing, so that's all I can do."