Monday leftovers

Basking in the glow of Sunday's big victory over Jacksonville comes good news and bad news, both affecting the direction the Browns are currently headed in the race to the postseason.

The good news concerns Joe Flacco, whose style of playing quarterback in the National Football League has captured the imagination of Browns Nation. The 38-year-old veteran, who has shown fans of this team exactly how the position should be played at this level, has been elevated to the main roster from the practice squad.

Head coach Kevin Stefanski made it official Monday in the aftermath of the 31-27 victory over the Jagwires. Flacco, who has thrown five touchdown passes in his first two games, will have the huddle for the remaining four games on the schedule and the postseason.

This isn't exactly a show-stopping revelation considering the quality of Flacco's performances. It was pretty obvious Stefanski had seen enough from Flacco to realize he had no other option that made sense since his other quarterback was a raw rookie in Dorian Thompson-Robinson.

What this move does, though, is prevent other teams in need of a quarterback from signing him off the Cleveland PS. Like the  Los Angeles Chargers, for example, in danger of losing Justin Herbert (busted index finger on his throwing hand) for a long period

Flacco in a short period of time has become a leader in the clubhouse, rising in popularity with his teammates in leading by example. It was that side of the football that had not kept up with the defense for most of the season. 

Now with the new guy at the helm, the Browns can outscore opponents if that's what's needed to win. With the other three quarterbacks who have suited up this season, that was rarely the case. Points were hard to come by. Not any more.

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Now the bad news. Rookie offensive tackle Dawand Jones is done for the season with a knee that requires surgery.  That's not just bad news; it's terrible news. That's because James Hudson III now becomes the new right tackle.

Hudson has been in and out at the position throughout the season filling in for Jones on occasion. And each time he did, the quality of play hampered the offense. The third-year pro tries hard, but he's just not very good. He's a liability at pass protection and with pre-snap penalties.

He was guilty of three false start penalties against the Jags: One in the second quarter with 6:14 on the clock on first and 10; another in the second quarter at 1:31 on second and 10; and one in the final quarter at 3:12 on third and one. Totally unacceptable.

Jones has become a revelation, providing the Browns with the kind of solid pass protection not often seen in a 6-8, 375-pound package. The former Ohio State star has allowed just three sacks in more than 700 snaps. The guess here is the Browns will ask Jones to shed some weight, which might have accounted for enough stress on his knees that eventually ended his season.

Unfortunately, Hudson has not come even close to being the tackle Jones is right now. And the overall pass protection will suffer as a result. Unless, that is, General Manager Andrew Berry is able to find  someone in the free-agent market.

From now on, it will be Hudson and Geron Christian at the tackles unless Jedrick Wills Jr., currently on IR, heels quickly enough to retake his position at left tackle. Until then, look for a lot of chipping by the tight end ends and/or running backs the rest of the way to keep Flacco vertical.

Have you noticed how banged up the offensive line is? The only two who have escaped missing games are the two guards, Joel Bitonio and Wyatt Teller. And now center Ethan Pocic is questionable after suffering a stinger Sunday. Nick Harris, a lesser talent, will fill in if Pocic can't go Sunday against Chicago. A distinct downgrade.

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Finally . . . It's only one game, but David Njoku appears to be back and actually holding on to the football. After spending the last few weeks fighting the ball instead of securing it, the flashy tight end had a spectacular game against Jacksonville with six receptions on eight targets for 91 yards and a pair of touchdowns. The first  came on a gorgeous play fake by Flacco, who found Njoku all alone down the seam from 35 yards on the first possession of the game. The second climaxed a four-play, 72-yard drive that consumed just 85 seconds. Njoku caught a short pass at around the Jags 20, stiff-armed Jags safety Andre Cisco to the ground at the 12 and danced in. If he keeps this up, his target count will rise.