The Cleveland Browns have made a long-awaited change at quarterback, with the team announcing Dillon Gabriel as the Week 5 starter.
Gabriel takes over for veteran Joe Flacco, who had been struggling over the first four games of the 2025 campaign. Head coach Kevin Stefanski left the door open for Cleveland to make a change, and that is exactly what is happening.
The Browns will not, however, be promoting Shedeur Sanders to QB2 and Flacco will be the backup, per NFL insider Jordan Schultz.
Gabriel has gotten into two games this season, but has attempted only four passes, completing three of them.
He's going to have a tough task in Week 5, as not only does Gabriel have to play overseas, he will do so against a good Minnesota Vikings defense.
What does Dillon Gabriel starting mean for Browns?
Plain and simple, the future is now in Cleveland.
Gabriel is the first rookie up to see if he can prove to be the long-term answer for the Browns, and if he fails, Sanders should get the next crack.
This was a crucial switch for Cleveland, as the franchise needed to give itself ample time to evaluate its rookie signal-callers ahead of a 2026 NFL draft that figures to have Cleveland picking near the top once again.
If Gabriel and Sanders fail, the Browns could once again spring for a quarterback in 2026, but earlier this time around.
If one of the two succeeds and does enough to show they belong, the Browns can focus on addressing a different position with a blue-chip player from the draft.
This move also opens the door for the Browns to trade Flacco. There will no doubt be some teams in the quarterback market at the trade deadline and Flacco might be appealing to a team that needs a backup or has a desperate starting situation.
And let's not forget what this does for Browns fans. Granted, there is no guarantee Gabriel pans out, but at least there is some hope for the future in Cleveland for the time being, something Flacco most certainly could not provide.
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