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Brooke Pryor
PITTSBURGH — In an unusual move, Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin openly questioned the Cleveland Browns and general manager Andrew Berry for the decision to execute a midseason trade sending quarterback Joe Flacco to the Cincinnati Bengals.
“To be honest, it was shocking to me,” Tomlin said Monday. “Andrew Berry must be a lot smarter than me or us because it doesn’t make sense to me to trade a quarterback that you think enough of to make your opening-day starter to a division opponent that’s hurting in that area, but that’s just my personal feelings.”
Tomlin doesn’t often question or criticize other teams or their personnel in his news conferences, making his response to a question about Flacco’s trade surprising.
Tomlin’s comments come a day after the Steelers (4-1) beat the Browns and rookie quarterback Dillon Gabriel 23-9 and just three days before facing the Bengals in a primetime game in Cincinnati on Thursday night.
The Browns traded the 40-year-old Flacco, who started the first four games of the season for Cleveland after signing a one-year contract as a free agent in the offseason, and a 2026 sixth-round pick to Cincinnati for a 2026 fifth-round pick on Oct. 7. The Browns were left with a pair of rookies at quarterback in Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders. The Bengals added Flacco to take over for Jake Browningwho struggled with six touchdowns to eight interceptions since taking over for Joe Burrow following Burrow’s Week 2 turf toe injury.
Although Tomlin questioned the trade from Cleveland’s perspective, when asked if Flacco fits with what Bengals coach Zac Taylor wants to on offense, the Steelers coach acknowledged it was a good move by Cincinnati.
“It certainly made sense from Cincinnati’s perspective,” Tomlin said. “… He can throw the football, and he’s always been able to throw the football — arm strength, arm accuracy, anticipatory passer, fluid movement through progressions. That’s always been his game.”
Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said he had no comment when asked Monday about Tomlin’s comments.
Not everyone in Pittsburgh was stunned by the trade.
“I’m being honest, I wasn’t surprised about the Flacco move,” Brown-turned-Steeler Juan Thornhill said after Sunday’s win. “They took him out of there, they benched him, so I felt like it was next man up. They were kind of done with him. I’ve been over there before. I’ve seen that picture before. Once they bench you, you’re not getting back in there, and I felt like they had an opportunity maybe to get something out of Flacco, so they sent him to Cincinnati.
“I’m excited to play Flacco, man. He’s a great guy.”
Tomlin most recently faced Flacco last season when the veteran took over for injured Indianapolis Colts starter Anthony Richardson Sr. in the first quarter and went on to beat the Steelers 27-24. Flacco completed 16 of 26 attempts for 168 yards and two touchdowns.
In his assessment of veteran quarterback Carson Wentz taking over for the inexperienced J.J. McCarthy ahead of Pittsburgh facing the Minnesota Vikings in Week 4, Tomlin recalled the fits Flacco gave them when he came into the game last season.
“We were in a similar situation a year ago,” Tomlin said on Sept. 23. “We were playing in Indianapolis, and I commented to the guys to keep [Anthony] Richardson upright. Don’t put [Joe] Flacco in the game, and Flacco ended up in the game. I think that’s oftentimes some of the things that you can run into when you run into a veteran guy, at least from a short-term perspective.”
On Monday, Tomlin was complimentary of Flacco following his first outing as a Bengal where he threw for 219 yards and two touchdowns and no interceptions in the 27-18 loss to the Green Bay Packers. That game marked the first time in five starts this season Flacco threw multiple touchdowns and didn’t have an interception. Flacco posted a season-best QBR of 68.6 in the loss, significantly higher than his 13.9 against the Detroit Lions in Week 4 and 29.8 in his first game against the Packers as a member of the Browns in Week 3.
“On the offensive side, the story is Joe Flacco, and it is reasonable to expect him to be significantly better in Week 2 [as a Bengal],” Tomlin said. “… I would imagine they worked hard a week ago on developing timing and cohesion. I’d imagine it’s taken a significant step after having done so under some live football circumstances. I saw him make some anticipatory throws even last week, and so I thought he was significantly better as the game wore on.
“Certainly, we got a full week’s work ahead of us in terms of minimizing a veteran savvy, talented thrower like him coupled with the eligibles that they have, and so that certainly has our attention.”
Asked about the challenge of preparing to play two games in short succession as a starting quarterback for a new team in midseason, Tomlin again complimented Flacco.
“Doesn’t appear to be hard for Joe Flacco,” he said.
Flacco is 10-11 as a starter against Tomlin with a 59.3 QBR and has completed 61% of his passes with 25 passing touchdowns to 12 interceptions. according to ESPN Research. As a starter, he’s also been sacked 56 times by Tomlin’s defenses.
