PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA – AUGUST 16: Dillon Gabriel #5 of the Cleveland Browns looks to pass against the Philadelphia Eagles in the first half of the NFL Preseason 2025 game at Lincoln Financial Field on August 16, 2025 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
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Before its intraconference international matchup against the Minnesota Vikings, the Cleveland Browns ushered in a new era of signal calling with an in-house promotion of its rookie quarterback.
Third-round selection Dillon Gabriel was announced as Cleveland’s starting quarterback for its Week Five matchup versus the Vikings in London, England. According to various sources, Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski announced the decision to the team this Wednesday morning.
Stefanski’s move was just days after the Browns’ offense mustered only one touchdown drive in its 34-10 defeat against the Detroit Lions. Through four games, Cleveland has yet to crack 20 points in a single matchup and has only passed over 200 yards once in that span.
Coming into the season, Joe Flacco was declared the team’s starter while rookies Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders filled out the team’s backup and third-string quarterback positions. At 40-years-old, Flacco was given the keys to serve as the team’s veteran bridge quarterback to navigate as much of the team’s brutal schedule as possible.
In the first four games, Flacco posted passing yardage totals of 290, 199, 142 and 184. His 27.0 quarterback rating during that span ranked last in the NFL and he featured a touchdown/interception ratio of 1:3 to go with his league-low passer rating (60.3), completion percentage (58.1) and yards per attempt (5.1).
Gabriel posted a decorated six-year career in college that spanned across UCF (2019-2021), Oklahoma (2022-2023) and Oregon (2024). His 189 total touchdowns in college are the most in FBS history as too are his 63 career quarterback starts.
While miniature in height, Gabriel’s quick release and pin-point accuracy was one of his glowing traits as a pro prospect. In two preseason games, he completed 25 of 37 passes for 272 yards a touchdown and an interception.
Gabriel has seen regular-season action in the team’s Week 2 matchup versus the Baltimore Ravens and the Week 4 matchup versus the Lions. He threw his first official NFL touchdown against Baltimore to rookie running back Dylan Sampson and threw his first incompletion as well in garbage time versus Detroit.
Gabriel’s first NFL start won’t be devoid of its challenges. The Vikings defense ranks third in passing yards allowed and have only surrendered three passing touchdowns through four games.
While Flacco has been demoted, he won’t slide too far down the depth chart. According to sources, he’ll be the team’s backup quarterback while fifth-round rookie Shedeur Sanders will continue his role as the team’s third string/emergency quarterback.