As QB Joe Flacco looked to hand off the ball off to RB Le'Ron McClain on a reverse play, he couldn't find him.
So Flacco held onto the ball and ran around the outside before he took off running down the sideline. Before he knew it, he had reached the end zone and scored his first touchdown in the NFL on a 38-yard run against the Bengals. It was also Week 1 of the 2008 season, and Flacco's first NFL start in his rookie season.
"I was going to just go run, take the first down and get out of bounds," Flacco said as he recalled the play. "And I kind of got to that point, I was like, all right, I might as well keep going. And the rest is history."
Now, 18 seasons later, Flacco will take the field as the Browns starting quarterback to face the Bengals once again in Week 1 of the 2025 season. After earning the starting role following the four-man quarterback competition, Flacco brings his years of experience and a confidence he instills in his teammates to running an NFL offense.
The offseason – including OTAs, minicamp, training camp and the preseason – allowed Flacco to build not only a deeper comfort level with the offensive scheme by calling plays in the huddle, but also to develop stronger relationships with his teammates that in the huddle surrounding him. Even as the Browns split reps for the four quarterbacks to evaluate them in the quarterback competition, Flacco used his reps to his advantage to feel comfortable with his teammates around him on the field.
Now, all the offseason work culminates as they kick off the regular season, and Flacco puts his work on display against the Bengals as the starting quarterback.
"I think no matter how long you've been in it, how many games you've played, they all feel pretty similar," Flacco said. "We're excited to get going. Anytime you haven't been at it for, 6-7 months, you're excited to get out there and get going and see what the team is going to be made of."
The Browns start the season off against a division rival in the Bengals and an early test to see how they match up against teams in the AFC North.
Flacco and the offense will face DE Trey Hendrickson, who is coming off a 2024 season in which he led the NFL with 17.5 sacks and compiled five games with multiple sacks. Flacco said Hendrickson knows how to make his presence felt and understands that Hendrickson may make plays occasionally over the course of the game. However, in order to handle his presence on the defensive line, Flacco said as an offense, they need to rely on their fundamentals, play within themselves and within their game plan.
"These division games, they can be tough and they're going to be a battle till the end, so you just got to make sure you're ready to go," Flacco said. "I think the way we prepare this week will kind of tell us a lot about ourselves."
Yet, even with the added physical nature of divisional matchups, head coach Kevin Stefanski believes Flacco is prepared to take the helm of the offense in Week 1. Stefanski has witnessed over the course of the offseason and through training camp how Flacco's experience in the league consistently showed up in his work on the field. He watched how Flacco still put in the work to better himself through the spring and training camp and learn the offensive system. And Stefanski saw how Flacco instilled confidence in the other 10 offensive players and led them to success on the play throughout training camp.
All of those factors give Stefanski that confidence in Flacco running the Browns out of the tunnel on Sunday and taking the field as their starting quarterback.
"Joe's done a nice job," Stefanski said. "I would go back to how we structured the offseason, how we structured training camp, named him the starter going into that Rams week, and he's gotten all of the work since then with those ones to sharpen up his game, get comfortable with the guys around him. So, he's done a really nice job to date."
Browse photos of the Cleveland Browns practicing at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus as they prepare for their Week 1 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Defensive end Myles Garrett (95) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 3, 2025.
Wide receiver Jerry Jeudy (3) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 3, 2025.
Linebacker Carson Schwesinger (49) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 3, 2025.
Tight end Harold Fannin Jr. (44) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 3, 2025.
Defensive tackle Mason Graham (94) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 3, 2025.
Running back Dylan Sampson (22) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 3, 2025.
Head Coach Kevin Stefanski during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 3, 2025.
Tight end David Njoku (85) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 3, 2025.
Wide receiver Cedric Tillman (19) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 3, 2025.
Offensive lineman Cole Strange (69) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 3, 2025.
Running back Dylan Sampson (22) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 3, 2025.
Offensive lineman Garrett Dellinger (52) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 3, 2025.
Defensive lineman Adin Huntington (98) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 3, 2025.
Running back Trayveon Williams (36) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 3, 2025.
Wide receiver DeAndre Carter (2) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 3, 2025.
Wide receiver Malachi Corley (83) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 3, 2025.
Wide receiver Cedric Tillman (19) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 3, 2025.
Tight end Blake Whiteheart (86) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 3, 2025.
Wide receiver Jerry Jeudy (3) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 3, 2025.
Offensive guard Joel Bitonio (75) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 3, 2025.
Quarterback Joe Flacco (15) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 3, 2025.
Defensive tackle Shelby Harris (93) and Bill Willis Diversity Fellow Michael Bearden during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 3, 2025.
Defensive end Myles Garrett (95) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 3, 2025.
Defensive end Cameron Thomas (99) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 3, 2025.
Cornerback Denzel Ward (21) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 3, 2025.
Running back Raheim Sanders (35) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 3, 2025.
Defensive back Jarrick Bernard-Converse (20) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 3, 2025.
Tight end Brenden Bates (82) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 3, 2025.
Tight end Harold Fannin Jr. (44) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 3, 2025.
Linebacker Devin Bush (30) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 3, 2025.
Head Coach Kevin Stefanski during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 3, 2025.
Running back Dylan Sampson (22) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 3, 2025.
Wide receiver Jamari Thrash (80) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 3, 2025.
Running back Ahmani Marshall (39) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 3, 2025.
Linebacker Mohamoud Diabate (43) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 3, 2025.
Quarterback Dillon Gabriel (8) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 3, 2025.
Defensive end Alex Wright (91) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 3, 2025.
Wide receiver Isaiah Bond (16) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 3, 2025.
Safety Ronnie Hickman Jr. (33) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 3, 2025.
Linebacker Devin Bush (30) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 3, 2025.
Safety Christopher Edmonds (41) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 3, 2025.
Safety Rayshawn Jenkins (5) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 3, 2025.
Cornerback Greg Newsome II (0) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 3, 2025.
Tight end Harold Fannin Jr. (44) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 3, 2025.
Cornerback Greg Newsome II (0) and Wide receiver Isaiah Bond (16) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 3, 2025.
Defensive end Cameron Thomas (99) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 3, 2025.
Defensive end Myles Garrett (95) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 3, 2025.
Defensive end Myles Garrett (95) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 3, 2025.
Center Ethan Pocic (55) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 3, 2025.
Wide receiver Isaiah Bond (16) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 3, 2025.
Defensive tackle Shelby Harris (93) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 3, 2025.
Quarterback Joe Flacco (15) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 3, 2025.
Defensive end Myles Garrett (95) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 3, 2025.
Running back Jerome Ford (34) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 3, 2025.
Running back Raheim Sanders (35) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 3, 2025.
Running back Raheim Sanders (35) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 3, 2025.
Offensive tackle Dawand Jones (79) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 3, 2025.
Running back Trayveon Williams (36) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 3, 2025.
Defensive end Joe Tryon-Shoyinka (90) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 3, 2025.
Running back Raheim Sanders (35) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 3, 2025.
Defensive end Cameron Thomas (99) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 3, 2025.
Quarterback Joe Flacco (15) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 3, 2025.
Safety Ronnie Hickman Jr. (33) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 3, 2025.
Wide receiver DeAndre Carter (2) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 3, 2025.
Wide receiver Malachi Corley (83) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 3, 2025.
Offensive tackle KT Leveston (72) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 3, 2025.
Linebacker Mohamoud Diabate (43) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 3, 2025.
Offensive lineman Cole Strange (69) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 3, 2025.
Running back Trayveon Williams (36) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 3, 2025.
Defensive end Cameron Thomas (99) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 3, 2025.
Running back Raheim Sanders (35) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 3, 2025.
Running back Ahmani Marshall (39) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 3, 2025.
Safety Damontae Kazee (23) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 3, 2025.
Defensive end Myles Garrett (95) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 3, 2025.
Wide receiver Jamari Thrash (80) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 3, 2025.
Wide receiver Isaiah Bond (16) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 3, 2025.
Tight end David Njoku (85) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 3, 2025.
Tight end Harold Fannin Jr. (44) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 3, 2025.
Defensive end Alex Wright (91) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 3, 2025.
Running back Trayveon Williams (36) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 3, 2025.
Running back Ahmani Marshall (39) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 3, 2025.
Wide receiver Malachi Corley (83) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on September 3, 2025.
