Will Browns Move From Joe Flacco to Dillon Gabriel Pay Dividends?

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