The Cleveland Browns have benched Joe Flacco after just four games, turning to rookie Dillon Gabriel as their new starting quarterback.

Flacco helped the Browns reach the playoffs in the 2023 season and was brought back for a second spell with the team this offseason after spending 2024 with the Indianapolis Colts.

But the Browns’ offense has been anaemic as they have started 1-3, with Cleveland failing to reach 20 points all four of their games so far.

Cleveland drafted Gabriel in the third round of this year’s draft, surprisingly passing on Shedeur Sanders, who many expected to go in the first round, before taking the Colorado star in the fifth round after a precipitous drop.

And Sanders will still have to play the waiting game even with the benching of Flacco.

Browns turn to Gabriel

It is Gabriel who will get the opportunity to start when the Browns face the Minnesota Vikings in London this Sunday.

Flacco will be the backup, with Sanders continuing to serve as the emergency third option.

Gabriel, who started out his college career before playing two seasons for Oklahoma and then transferring to Oregon, was drafted 94th overall after a stellar lone season with the Ducks.

Oregon went undefeated in the 2024 regular season and won the Big 10 conference title, but suffered a stunning defeat to Ohio State in the quarter-finals of the College Football Playoff, with the eight seed Buckeyes going on to win the National Championship.

Still a 13-1 record with Oregon in the final campaign of a college career in which he amassed extensive experience convinced the Browns to take a bet on developing Gabriel, who completed 72.9 percent of his passes for 3,857 yards, 30 touchdowns and six interceptions.

The Browns will hope to see the benefit of that experience and the coaching he has received since making the leap to the pros when they take to the field at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to try to right the ship against the Vikings.

Head coach Kevin Stefanski said of Gabriel: “Obviously, from the second he’s been here, he’s been working very hard, [a] very intelligent young man,” Stefanski.

“[He’s] Done a nice job in practice; he’s been learning this whole season how to get ready, understand the rhythm of an NFL week, and what that looks like as a backup. Obviously, now feel like he’s ready to go in as a starter.”

But if things do not improve, the Browns may eventually be forced to look to the man many believed could be the first player off the board in the draft before his remarkable slide.

Flacco’s failings

The Cleveland defense has been one of the best in football so far this season, but the offense has failed to hold up its end of the bargain, with Flacco a key reason as to why.

Indeed, Flacco has committed eight turnovers so far this season, including two interceptions in last Sunday’s blowout loss to the Detroit Lions, and ranks near the bottom of the league in most efficiency metrics.

The 40-year-old ranks last in Expected Points Added per play, in essence a measure of the ability to create explosive plays, and in success rate (35.4%), which gauges down-to-down efficiency.

On top of that, he is 30th on a list of 35 qualifying quarterbacks in completion percentage over expectation.

With Flacco failing to raise the floor of the offense, it is no surprise the Browns have elected to see what they have in at least one of their two rookie signal-callers. For the long-term health of the Browns, they need one of them to impress this season.