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The 5–12 Browns Now Feature Two Pro Bowl Quarterbacks

Surprising names keep getting added to the event.
Joe Flacco and Shedeur Sanders have been named to the Pro Bowl despite the Cleveland Browns' lackluster season.
Joe Flacco and Shedeur Sanders have been named to the Pro Bowl despite the Cleveland Browns' lackluster season. | Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

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The old saying is that when you have two quarterbacks, you actually have none. And while that maxim took a bit of a hit this year as Tyler Huntley, Malik Willis and Mac Jones all improved their teams’ chances while Kirk Cousins did admirable in relief of Michael Penix, a new data point must now be considered.

The Cleveland Browns, who went 5-12 on the year and parted ways with coach Kevin Stefanski, will now have two of their quarterbacks represent them in the Pro Bowl Games. Veteran Joe Flacco has been named to the event. It's the first time in his career that the 41-year old has received the honor. He'll join Shedeur Sanders, who was selected earlier this week.

Flacco started the first four games of the year for Cleveland before being dealt to the Cincinnati Bengals on Oct. 7. Combined he threw for 15 touchdowns against 10 interceptions and posted a 2-8 record as a starter. Sanders, who took over for the Browns after their brief dalliance with Dillon Gabriel, went 3-4 with seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions during his rookie year. Combine those two and it's a 5-12 record with 22 touchdowns and 20 picks.

The Pro Bowl has certainly changed. And while there's bound to be some jokes, it's cool to see Flacco get a moment at this stage of his career.

Chances are the Browns do not send two signal-callers to the Pro Bowl next season even if they have a much improved record.


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Kyle Koster
KYLE KOSTER

Kyle Koster is an assistant managing editor at Sports Illustrated covering the intersection of sports and media. He was formerly the editor in chief of The Big Lead, where he worked from 2011 to '24. Koster also did turns at the Chicago Sun-Times, where he created the Sports Pros(e) blog, and at Woven Digital.

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