Browns quarterback Joe Flacco set Cleveland on fire during his brief stay with the team, helping the AFC North franchise go 4-1 in his five-game tenure during the 2023 NFL season.
Over a year after the veteran quarterback played his last snap for the Browns, Flacco is still helping Cleveland.
That’s because Flacco was one of four players the Browns lost during the previous free-agency period, two more than the team signed in 2024.
Analyst Nick Korte shared his projections for the NFL’s compensatory pick process, noting that Cleveland should receive two draft choices after the Browns’ two highest-ranked free agents – Flacco and defensive lineman Jordan Elliott – signed with other franchises during the 2024 offseason. These are projected to be sixth-round picks
Compensatory picks are awarded to NFL teams based on a formula that accounts for free agency.
These draft picks are given to teams that lose more free agents than the organization gains, and values are assigned to players to determine which round the pick will be awarded to the franchise.
Korte also projects that the Browns will receive a third draft choice known as a supplementary pick, a designation usually reserved when another organization hires a team’s minority coach or executive.
Flacco earned the 2023 AP Comeback Player of the Year award after his work with the Browns, throwing for 1,616 yards, 13 touchdowns, and eight interceptions during the regular season.
Elliott played in all 17 regular season games for the Browns in 2023, recording 21 tackles and 2.5 sacks.
The lineman signed with the San Francisco 49ers during the offseason, playing in 15 contests for the NFC West organization this year.
