Flacco sat in the quarterback room with a clicker in hand and flipped through different defensive clips of the Rams.

The Browns treated the preseason finale as a dress rehearsal for the regular season, so the quarterbacks received a game plan heading into the week to prep for the Rams' defense. In a game week, initially Flacco said he approaches studying the film to understand what kind of fronts and coverages opposing defenses like to run. Then, when they receive their offensive game plan, Flacco said he begins to apply their own plays and the protection plan to the film that he watches.

"The biggest part that I like to get comfortable with is once we get that third-down plan," Flacco said. "Once we're in third down and they are going to do all their different stuff and they are going to bring their blitz packages, it's getting a good handle for the different fronts they run things out of, and what actual pressures they bring. And what are their protection adjustments that we have to make that week. And as long as the offensive line and myself feel comfortable with identifying those things, I think that gives us the best chance to play really fast and feel really good about the game going into it."

As he watches the film, Flacco mentally groups different elements he notices together. He looks at different pressures, different types of coverages or formations, and packages those notes into one category. He also takes note of situations that may only happen once a game or others that show up consistently in the film and stand out, which would encourage him to adjust his approach and get the ball out of his hands more quickly.

When Flacco flips to watch film of the Browns' offense, the focus shifts to mastering his part of the game plan. He is studying how to get the motions in the right time, how to get the other 10 offensive players up the ball and how to get shifts to happen on time.

"Then once you're on time with all the calls and the motions and the shifts, it's 'Hey, am I looking at the right spot versus the right coverage? Do I understand why we are putting this play in?'" Flacco said. "There's always a reason why we are putting this play in, so what is the intent of the play? Am I showing on the film that I understand that? And then after that, it's looking at the other positions and saying, 'Hey, are you showing up where I want you to and when I want you to?' And I think that's one of the biggest things when you come in after practice and you look at the film, is that. Is the whole offense, is everybody as a whole showing up where they are supposed to be in the timing of the play because that's a big deal."

Over the course of 18 NFL seasons, studying the film has played a critical role in Flacco's game preparation. Playing in different offenses over his career, Flacco has noted the changes in how teams call protections, which can change the study of film slightly.

But to get to this point in his career where he notices those changes, he had to learn how to effectively use film in his preparation at the NFL level. During his rookie season in Baltimore in 2008, Flacco learned from not only the veterans in the quarterback room like Todd Bouman, but also from his quarterbacks coach in Hue Jackson and offensive coordinator Cam Cameron about how to utilize film study in his preparation.

"Those are the first guys that I was around to help me progress in this league," Flacco said. "It's good to be around a coach or player who knows how to do it and learn from them. I think that's the biggest thing over the course of my 18 years is not wasting time when I come I here and just watching film to watch film for four hours. Come in here, be crisp, digest what you can and forget about it. As with everything, you get a little more efficient at doing things. And I would say over the course of my 18 years, you just become a little more efficient with it."

That work in the film room translates then to practice field – and eventually, into the game. Flacco said when they are out on the practice field, he recounts the notes he took on the game plan and the defensive coverages based on the conversations he has with the coaching staff.

As the Browns simulated the structure of a game week with giving the quarterbacks a game plan ahead of the final preseason game, offensive coordinator Tommy Rees said they gave their quarterbacks more plays that they would rep in practice then run in the game, all in the effort to simulate the volume of a normal game plan. Flacco said they also worked through other elements of the game week, in terms of how they want to structure certain meetings, the timing of those meetings and other small tweaks to the scheduled elements of game week in order to help Flacco and the quarterbacks prepare for a game. Through the week of preparation, Flacco also worked with head coach Kevin Stefanski and Rees on the offensive game plan.

"For Joe, there's always some dialogue of what he's comfortable with, what he's not comfortable with. 'Hey, I'd rather be under center on this one,' or 'I'd rather be in the gun on this one,' or 'Hey, can we just edit this route here?" Rees said. "With a guy with this much experience, those are so critical in building a game plan because ultimately, you want the quarterback to be as comfortable as possible and have confidence in what's being called and what's being run. And when they have some autonomy, when they have some input, I think it builds their confidence level and their ability to make plays work."

Since Flacco arrived in Cleveland following his signing in April 2025, Stefanski noted now he clicked in the offense right from the beginning. He had a high level of comfort with the offensive system because of its reminiscence of his time with the Browns in 2023 and other stops throughout his career. That allowed Flacco, even as he re-acclimated himself with the terminology, to operate efficiently in the offense over the course of the offseason and through the preseason.

As training camp progressed, Rees continued to see Flacco settle into the offense. The vision of how they wanted their offense to run – one based on versatility and flexibility, tailored to the skillset of their players – began to solidify beginning in the second week of the preseason.

"We really started to feel like it was clicking was the transition from Carolina and in those joint practices, and then we had a practice here before we went to Philly where he was really sharp," Rees said. "He had some moments in Philly where we felt he was sharp. I think that chunk of time started to kind of solidify the things that we believed we could do, where we wanted to attack, those are starting to come to life, and we probably started feeling it the most during that time."

Flacco stood at the entrance of the tunnel surrounded by his teammates, and they huddled up one last time before they ran out onto the field. With their arms raised in the middle of the circle, his teammates looked to Flacco to give one last pregame speech.

"Let's go have some fun today," Flacco said. "It's all just football, baby. Family on three: one, two, three."

Then Flacco and his teammates turned and ran out onto the grass at Huntington Bank Field. As the final preseason game against the Rams kicked off and the Browns' offense took the field for the first time, Flacco jogged onto the field to line up and assume his spot at quarterback.

"You never take for granted being able to be the guy under center," Flacco said. "But I'll tell people all the time, no matter how long you've done this and played this game, it always feels the same. Before the game and as you're running out onto the field, all the way up until you take that first snap, you always have the same emotions running through you. And it gets you going a little bit, so it was exciting."

While Stefanski saw how Flacco operated the offense in practice settings throughout preseason and training camp, he wanted Flacco to start the third preseason game with the veteran offensive line and players they are planning to heavily rely on early in the season in order to run a "dress rehearsal" for the regular season. He wanted to see Flacco break the huddle, make quick decisions with the football, spread the football around and make the right plays.

And Flacco did just that.

He played two offensive drives in the final preseason game, moving the Browns down the field and into position to score on the first offensive drive. After an incompletion on his first pass of the game, Flacco connected on his next nine passes. He ended his day completing 9-of-10 passes for 71 yards and a touchdown.

On third-and-9, Flacco found RB Dylan Sampson, who bounced off two defenders and picked up 14 yards for the first down. Two plays later, Flacco found the end zone and connected with TE Harold Fannin Jr. for his first NFL receiving touchdown. The 18-year veteran quarterback finished his afternoon with an 18-yard screen to RB Pierre Strong Jr. and a 15-yard pass to TE David Njoku that moved the Browns to Rams territory. However, the drive stalled out before the Browns could get into field goal range.

"Joe was ready," quarterbacks coach Bill Musgrave said. "He valued the process of going through the butterflies and the anxiousness that is accompanied with going out to play football at really any level. You step on a football field, there's going to be some nervous energy and things like that. It's just good to have a dress rehearsal of (playing) before it starts to count the first weekend after Labor Day."

Over the course of the first two offensive drives, Stefanski, Musgrave and Rees all saw one particular play against the Rams from Flacco that demonstrated his preparation for the 2025 season.

On a play action call that involved a fake to the running back, the Rams' defense brought slot pressure on Flacco's right side. Musgrave said he watched how Flacco detected the blitz, diagnosed the situation and instructed the running back to block the defensive back. Flacco was then able to find Njoku crossing left to right over the middle linebacker, making the throw to the opposite side of his body for the completion.

"When I saw Joe do that, I knew, shoot, he's going to be in midseason form here real quick," Musgrave said. "Because that was an above and beyond the call of duty, kind of graduate-level play."

Rees echoed a similar sentiment, noting how Flacco was already noticing pre-snap pressure, adjusting and still making a tough play post snap.

"I was ready to get him out after that play, but we had a couple more plays in that drive," Rees said. "So, he was sharp, and he'll build off of that. It's such a good dress rehearsal, as we refer to it, just to work out those kinks and make sure that all the things that are going to make everybody comfortable on game day are running smoothly."

The dress rehearsal is complete, and now the stage is set for Week 1 of the 2025 season.

The Browns will host the Bengals at Huntington Bank Field for the season opener, and when they run onto the field for the first time, Flacco will be leading the charge in his 18^th NFL season.

"Being a starter and my responsibility to the team, for me it's just about being who I am and being a professional," Flacco said. "Carrying myself that way, putting in the work, leading by example. I think if I can do those things, then it's a good start."

Throughout the evaluation process of the quarterbacks, the coaching staff highlighted the level of experience Flacco brought to the quarterback position, and his ability to instill confidence in his teammates around him.

Through 18 years as an NFL quarterback, Flacco has experienced a plethora of scenarios. He's been in different offensive schemes, faced a multitude of defenses and experienced the highs and lows of an NFL season. He's been the starting quarterback – earning 191 starts of 196 games played – and led NFL teams to success as he has a 105-86 record as a starting quarterback.

"I think we're really lucky to have a guy that's been through a lot, been through all those battles and has the battle scars to prove it leading the football team into Week 1," Stefanski said. "I think Joe is somebody that gives our football team, our offensive line confidence, again because of that experience. And then I think he has performed well. Players are the biggest critics of each other; they get to see their teammates in practice, they've seen Joe operate, they've seen what he's capable of and I think they certainly understand that he's somebody that can lead us into this season."

The accolades – from Super Bowl champion and 2012 Super Bowl MVP to 2023 NFL Comeback Player of the Year – provide perspective on his tenured NFL career and allow teammates to rally behind Flacco in between the lines.

Teammates on both sides of the ball see that confidence and demeanor from Flacco. DE Myles Garrett highlighted the composure Flacco has demonstrated out on the field over the course of his career, and how as a defense, they are prepared to support him as the starting quarterback. Second-year wide receiver Jamari Thrash sees how Flacco commands the offense, as he both wants and expects the receivers to get to their spots based on the defensive coverage in order to make the completion.

Rookie quarterback Dillon Gabriel, who will serve as the backup to Flacco for the season, uses his opportunities in the quarterback meeting rooms or the practice field to ask questions, learn and develop a high level of communication with Flacco. And through those interactions and watching Flacco command the offense both on the practice field and on game day, Gabriel has picked up on qualities of being a tenured NFL quarterback.

"I think what I appreciate most about Joe is just his ability to be so focused and also make it look so easy. His calm demeanor is something I appreciate, not only in a quarterback but also just a teammate. I think you see that kind of infiltrate into the huddle to all the guys around him," Gabriel said. "I've appreciated just all his knowledge. I think he shares that through his reps and talking through his reps but asking certain questions just to figure out how he thinks. I'm always tuned in when he speaks, just because the experience is there for a lot of the guys to appreciate Joe. I think that he's ready for the moment and he's a guy who's done it, so it'll be a lot of fun to continue to learn from him."

With his earned role, as well as being named one of the five captains for the season, Flacco understands the level of importance of instilling that confidence in the other 10 offensive players on the field.

"I think giving confidence to guys is something that you always strive to do as a player, as a quarterback and as a leader, and there's obviously different ways you do that," Flacco said. "But I think when you take the field on Sunday, the goal is that we can all look to our right and our left and have confidence in the guy next to us and that's what makes good teams. So, the more guys that we can get feeling like that and holding up their end of the bargain, the better we will be."

The training camp quarterback competition has concluded, and the Browns are turning the page to the beginning of the regular season with Flacco at the helm of the offense. The hopes are high for the Browns heading into the 2025 season, centered around the desire to improve and return to a level of success they believe is achievable. Through a re-vamped offensive system, a re-dedication to defensive takeaways and an overall improved level of intensity, the Browns have laid the foundation for their regular season.

And through it all, the Browns see Flacco as the best fit to be the man under center and the one to run the Browns' offense in 2025.

"I think Joe's role as the starter is one that gives everybody around him confidence and he has the ability to elevate the play around him," Rees said. "He does not need to overstretch what we're asking him to do because he will bring out the best in the players around him by operating as he is. So, when you look at a guy that can make others around him better, that is one of the biggest compliments you can give a quarterback. And that's one of the biggest reasons we're excited to have Joe leading us out of the tunnel Week 1."