No one quite understood what the Cleveland Browns had planned for their quarterback room heading into the 2025 season. After signing Kenny Pickett and Joe Flacco in the offseason, they proceeded to draft Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders two rounds apart. That set up a four-way quarterback competition, with head coach Kevin Stefanski needing to pick a starter and decide if four quarterbacks would make the final roster.
After trading away Pickett, Stefanski wasted no time naming Flacco the starter. It would have been bold to make a 3rd or 5th round rookie the starter from the jump. But after just four games, Stefanski is already on the verge of handing over the reins to a rookie; it just won’t be Sanders, yet.
Dillon Gabriel to start in place of Joe Flacco in Week 5
Reports emerged on Tuesday that the Browns are expected to make a quarterback change ahead of Week 5. Gabriel will take over as the starting quarterback for Flacco for the team’s game against the Minnesota Vikings in London.
To be fair, this was always the expected outcome. Despite Flacco winning the starting job handily, struggles were expected at some point during the season. But they began from the get-go for the veteran QB and the Browns offense.
While many fans want to see Sanders, not Gabriel, in action, the 5th round rookie will have to keep waiting. Gabriel beat him out for the backup job in training camp and preseason, and he will get plenty of chances to impress. But if Gabriel performs as poorly as Flacco did, it may not be long before Stefanski slots in Sanders.
The Browns have to see what they have in all of their quarterbacks. They saw Pickett in camp, Flacco through the first four weeks and now Gabriel in regular season action. The only way for Sanders to not see the field would be for Gabriel to play at a very high level.
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