The Cleveland Browns have made a change at quarterback, benching veteran Joe Flacco and starting rookie Dillon Gabriel, with the hopes that fewer turnovers will give Cleveland a better chance of winning with their defense.
Flacco, 40, has struggled in the Browns’ 1-3 start, with two touchdowns against six interceptions. He is last in the league in passer rating (60.3) and second-to-last, ahead of only Tennessee Titans rookie Cam Ward, in both completion percentage (58.2) and yards per attempt (5.1). As a result of Flacco’s six interceptions, the Browns have the second-worst turnover margin in the NFL at minus-6, better than only the New York Jets.
Gabriel, 24, was a third-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, bringing more experience than most college players. He started 63 games over six seasons while at UCF, Oklahoma and Oregon, which is the most ever for a quarterback in FBS history. Limiting turnovers was a strength for him in college, with five separate seasons of at least 25 touchdown passes and seven or fewer interceptions. His college career numbers wound up being 155 touchdowns against 32 interceptions, an impressive ratio of 4.84 to 1.
Can he do that in the NFL? That remains to be seen. Cleveland’s defense has had a good first month of the season, though. It ranked No. 1 in the league in total defense and rushing defense through the first four weeks, while also ranking fourth against the pass. Yet, the Browns are somehow 24th in scoring defense. But that can be explained through two special teams touchdowns, another score on a pick-six and two opponent 5-yard touchdown drives after interceptions.
Three of Joe Flac(Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
The Browns aren’t likely to be substantially better on offense with Gabriel at quarterback. They’re 31st in scoring and 27th in total offense, but if he can simply cut the turnovers in half, there are winnable games in the next four weeks before their bye week. The Browns head overseas and will face the Minnesota Vikings in London on Sunday, then play at the Steelers in Pittsburgh before a home matchup against the Miami Dolphins and a road game at the New England Patriots.
Cleveland drafted two quarterbacks this season, and while Gabriel takes over as the starter, Flacco will still dress as the top backup. That means fifth-round pick Shedeur Sanders will be the team’s No. 3 quarterback, playing only if the first two are injured. If Gabriel struggles as Flacco has, they may give Sanders a look. It’s also possible they trade for a different veteran before the league’s trade deadline on Nov. 4.
The Browns’ perpetual search for a franchise quarterback has had them try multiple starters all too regularly. Last year, four different quarterbacks started for Cleveland, combining for a 3-14 record. In 2023, they had five different starters, with Flacco going 4-1 as the fifth to get them into the playoffs. They haven’t had one quarterback start every game in a season since 2020, when Baker Mayfield went 11-5 and led the team to a rare playoff victory.
Greg Auman is an NFL Reporter for FOX Sports. He previously spent a decade covering the Buccaneers for the Tampa Bay Times and The Athletic. You can follow him on Twitter at @gregauman.
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