Who Should I Start? Joe Flacco or Dillon Gabriel

Sunday, September 14, 7:49 PM

Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski told the media that he's not considering a quarterback change following Sunday's Week 2 loss to the Baltimore Ravens. Joe Flacco struggled in the loss, completing 25 of 45 passes for 199 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. He also took two sacks and lost a fumble. With Cleveland trailing by multiple possessions late in the game, Stefanski replaced Flacco with rookie Dillon Gabriel. In the first drive of his career, Gabriel went 3-for-3 with a passing touchdown, albeit against a defense that presumably wasn't playing at 100 percent due to the large lead. Flacco will remain the starting quarterback in Week 3 against the Green Bay Packers, whose Micah Parsons-led defense has been playing quite well. Flacco can't be trusted in fantasy football next week.

Saturday, August 30, 7:40 PM

Cleveland Browns rookie quarterback Dillon Gabriel has "gained a lot of trust from the coaching staff just in terms of how he worked, and we feel good about it," assistant general manager Glenn Cook said. After setting a college football record with 63 starts over six seasons divided among Central Florida, Oklahoma, and Oregon, the third-round pick impressed the Browns' coaches enough to beat out fifth-round rookie Shedeur Sanders and now-Las Vegas Raider Kenny Pickett for the backup QB job. The new role doesn't faze Gabriel, who told Zac Jackson of The Athletic: "It's not daunting. I have ultimate confidence in myself and who I am." Gabriel looked decent in two preseason games, going 25-for-37 for 272 yards, a touchdown, and an interception, and it wouldn't be a surprise to see him starting at some point in 2025. The only real roadblock is 40-year-old starter Joe Flacco, a stopgap who has played in nine or fewer games in seven straight seasons.