Browns QB Dillon Gabriel will start Week 5 against the Vikings.

01 October 2025

After largely dodging questions about Joe Flacco as the Browns’ starter, head coach Kevin Stefanski was left with no choice but to bench the grizzled veteran after a miserable first four games of the regular season in which Flacco completed just 58 percent of his passes for two touchdowns and six interceptions. Flacco’s drop back success rate was lower than every quarterback but Cam Ward through Week 4. Enter Gabriel, who acquitted himself well in the preseason, completing 68 percent of his attempts for 262 yards, one touchdown, and one pick over two games. Gabriel’s 7.4 yards per attempt in the preseason was well above Flacco’s 5.1 YPA through four regular season games. It’s hard to imagine Gabriel being any worse than Flacco. He’ll likely be an upgrade for Cleveland pass catchers against a Minnesota defense running the league’s most complex and inscrutable blitz and coverage schemes.