Dillon Gabriel Starts Over Benched Joe Flacco In Cleveland As AFC North QBs A Mess With One Exception

The Cleveland Browns have benched Joe Flacco and are going with rookie Dillon Gabriel as their starting quarterback in London on Sunday, which means the AFC North quarterback merry-go-round has hit a third team while leaving one team untouched.

Flacco, last among NFL starters in passer rating at 60.3 after throwing six interceptions in four games, will watch from the sideline while Gabriel, the team's 2025 third-round pick, makes his first career start against the Minnesota Vikings at Tottenham HotSpur Stadium.

"It's a moment we all look forward to as a competitor," Gabriel told reporters on Wednesday. "It's part of my job to be ready .."

Cleveland Browns quarterback Kenny Pickett (8) throws as quarterback Joe Flacco (15) looks on during NFL training camp at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus, Friday, Aug. 1, 2025, in Berea, Ohio.

Browns Make Gabriel Announcement

The Browns announced the move Wednesday morning before departing for London.

And this means stuff:

Firstly, this isn't a surprise to anyone.

Except maybe to Flacco …

"Listen, I think I said it on Sunday, anytime you're in this league and everyone's always getting evaluated," Flacco said. "The job of the quarterback is to help your team win football games. I don't know if I foresaw it coming, but me and [coach] Kevin [Stefanski] were having some conversations.

"I wasn't anything super long or drawn out, but it got to the point I had a good conversation with him about it and it is what it is."

We'd be surprised if the Browns are done shuttling quarterbacks in and out of the lineup this season. So stay ready, Flacco.

And get ready, Shedeur Sanders.

Bengals, Ravens Have QB Issues

Secondly, the AFC North is starting to resemble a quarterback meat grinder now.

The Cincinnati Bengals lost Joe Burrow for the season when he suffered a Week 2 turf toe injury that required surgery. It hasn't gone great for them since.

The Baltimore Ravens are managing a hamstring injury to Lamar Jackson that forced him to take a seat on the bench the final 10 minutes or so of the game against Kansas City on Sunday. Jackson's status going forward is uncertain.

And, by the way, the Ravens have lost three of their first four games.

That leaves one AFC North quarterback standing without injury, poor performance, or drama so far this season. This guy:

Dublin , Ireland - 28 September 2025; Quarterback Aaron Rodgers #8 of Pittsburgh Steelers after the 2025 NFL International Game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Minnesota Vikings at Croke Park in Dublin. (Photo By Seb Daly/Sportsfile via Getty Images)

Aaron Rodgers Rules AFC North

Aaron Rodgers has thrown eight TD passes and three interceptions and has a passer rating over 100 while leading the Pittsburgh Steelers to a division-leading 3-1 record.

So, yeah, the 41-year-old is on course for a 32-plus-TD season. He's given the Steelers the best QB situation in the division so far. 

Who had that on their bingo card?

But we digress …

Gabriel has seen game action in two regular season games, entering late in the fourth quarter during Week 2 against the Ravens and Week 4 against the Lions. Both of those were blowout losses for the Browns.

Browns quarterback Dillon Gabriel addressed all of the attention that has gone to his teammate Shedeur Sanders. (Getty Images)

Unclear How Much Patience Browns Have

Gabriel completed all three of his passing attempts for 19 yards and one touchdown in Week 2. He threw an incomplete pass in his lone pass against the Lions. 

Gabriel has consistently been the backup behind Flacco despite calls from media and some fans to promote Sanders ahead of him.

Now he's going to have to earn that standing. It's unclear how long Stefanski is prepared to stay with Gabriel amid possible rookie growing pains. 

If it's not a long leash, we could be seeing more quarterback shuffling in Cleveland.