Rookie Dillon Gabriel will get his first NFL start on Sunday when the Cleveland Browns face the Minnesota Vikings in London. The Browns announced on Wednesday that they were benching Joe Flacco after he struggled to lead the offense in the first four games.
“From the second [Gabriel] has been here, he’s been working very hard,” Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski said. “He’s a very intelligent young man. He’s done a nice job throughout practice, and this whole season he’s been learning how to get yourself ready and understand the rhythm of an NFL week and what that looks like as a backup. Obviously, now feel like he’s ready to go as a starter.”
The switch to Gabriel is sure to reignite questions about whether Shedeur Sanders may eventually factor as Cleveland’s starter. He has been the third-string quarterback the first four weeks, and on Wednesday the Browns said he will remain in that position. Flacco will be Gabriel’s backup. Sanders, the son of hall of famer Deion Sanders, generated huge amounts of attention when he dropped to the fifth round of this year’s draft after many thought he would go in the first two. He completed 17 of 29 passes for 152 yards and two touchdowns in two preseason games.
Sanders has come under criticism for talking about his role with the Browns in recent weeks. “If you see the [quality of] quarterback play in the league right now, I know I’m capable of doing better than that,” Sanders told ESPN Cleveland last week.
After the Browns named Dillon Gabriel their new starting quarterback, Shedeur Sanders reacted with a full mime:
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 1, 2025
pic.twitter.com/0qa23cpdOb
When asked about the Browns’ quarterback situation on Wednesday, following the news of Flacco’s benching, Sanders repeatedly answered by grinning then silently moving his mouth in response. A member of the Browns staff then cut the interviews short.
When asked if he had considered elevating Sanders to Gabriel’s backup, Stefanski said his “focus is on this game”.
Cleveland are 1-3 and ranked next-to-last in scoring this season, averaging 14 points per game. The team has scored 17 points or fewer in nine straight games dating back to last season. Gabriel will be the fifth different starting QB in the Browns’ last 10 games, joining Jameis Winston, Dorian Thompson-Robinson, Bailey Zappe and Flacco.
Gabriel was selected in the third round of April’s draft. He has seen action in two games – Week 2 at Baltimore and Week 4 at Detroit – and has completed all three of his passes for 19 yards and a touchdown. He was named the backup quarterback at the end of training camp after the Browns traded Kenny Pickett to the Las Vegas Raiders.
During the preseason, Gabriel led the Browns to either a touchdown or field goal on five of his seven drives. He also directed a pair of two-minute, first-half drives against the Philadelphia Eagles and Los Angeles Rams. In his two preseason outings, Gabriel completed 25 of 37 passes for 272 yards with one touchdown and one interception.
It is easy to see why the Browns benched Flacco. Among the 33 quarterbacks who have made at least 56 pass attempts, the 40-year-old is last in the league with a 60.3 passer rating, has the second-worst completion rate (58.1%) and his six interceptions are second most.
The 18-year veteran completed only 16 of 34 passes for 184 yards, two interceptions and a fumble in last Sunday’s 34-10 loss to Detroit. The Browns offense is ranked 27th in total yards (279.8 yards per game), 20th in passing (195 yards per game) and 30th in rushing (84.8 yards per game).
