JOE Flacco’s time as a starter in Cleveland appears to be at an end.
The Browns are preparing to turn to a rookie quarterback ahead of Week 5 as they head across the pond to England.
Cleveland Browns have benched starting quarterback Joe Flacco[/caption]
Rookie Dillon Gabriel is set to start in London against the Vikings[/caption]
Flacco has led Cleveland to 1-3 over the opening four weeks of the season.
The 40-year-old has failed to shine, throwing just two touchdowns and six interceptions.
Rookies Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders were both drafted by the Browns in April.
And it’s Gabriel who will get the start this Sunday when the Browns play the Minnesota Vikings in London.
Coach Kevin Stefanski has taken the decision to bench Flacco after Sunday’s 34-10 loss to the Detroit Lions.
“We have to play better and we have to coach better,” Stefanski said Monday.
“This is not about one person. My focus is on making sure the offense plays better.”
Gabriel started three seasons at UCF when healthy and two at Oklahoma.
He finished his college career at Oregon, where he led the Ducks to an unbeaten regular season in 2024.
Gabriel was named the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year and finished third in Heisman Trophy voting.
He was selected by the Browns in the third round as the 94th overall pick.
The Browns had always been expected to bed in their two rookie QBs with Flacco making way later in the season.
But after a dismal start, the organization are giving Gabriel the chance to turn around a struggling offense.
In preseason, the 24-year-old went 13-of-18 for 143 yards and an interception against the Philadelphia Eagles.
He then went 12-of-19 for 129 yards and a touchdown in the preseason finale versus the Los Angeles Rams.
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Sanders will have to wait for his chance to shine after cutting a forlorn figure on the sideline in Week 4.
The 23-year-old was publicly slammed by former NFL coach Rex Ryan this week, dubbing him an “embarrassment” on live TV.
Shedeur, the son of NFL Hall of Famer Deion Sanders, had been projected in the first round of this year’s draft.
But his stock plummeted on draft night, with the Browns eventually picking him in the fifth round.
Coach Prime recently confirmed that Sanders turned down the Baltimore Ravens as a possible destination.
Had he landed in Baltimore, Sanders could have been looking at a Week 5 start with starting QB Lamar Jackson struggling with injury.
Shedeur Sanders will have to wait for his chance under center[/caption]
