Nobody fears former Ravens QB Joe Flacco the way the Steelers fear Joe Flacco, including former Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger. Even though Flacco is now a journeyman backup who just fell into a starting job, they still respect his game. And perhaps they respect his past even more so, Flacco having led Baltimore to a Super Bowl.
But there’s a reason the Browns traded Flacco to the Bengals, even if it shocked Steelers HC Mike Tomlin. It stands to reason that Cleveland didn’t think Cincinnati would be much better with him than with Jake Browning.