The Cleveland Browns announced they are making a change at quarterback ahead of their Week 5 game against the Minnesota Vikings.
Heading to the bench for the Browns’ London game will be 40-year-old Joe Flacco. Taking his place in the starting lineup will be third-round rookie Dillon Gabriel in his first career NFL start.
Flacco’s benching comes after the 18-year veteran struggled across four starts with the Browns. The team posted just a 1-3 record under the 40-year-old’s leadership while he completed just 58.1% of his passes for 815 yards, two touchdowns and six interceptions (second-most in the NFL behind Geno Smith).
Gabriel will get the nod after playing sparingly in relief of Flacco, completing 3 of 4 passes for 19 yards and a touchdown in two appearances for the Browns.
Of course, many will also be wondering exactly what Flacco’s benching and Gabriel’s promotion means for fifth-round rookie Shedeur Sanders. Here’s a breakdown of how Cleveland’s quarterback change impacts the organization and what it means for Sanders.
Why isn’t Shedeur Sanders starting?
Sanders isn’t yet starting for the Browns because Gabriel is ahead of him on the team’s depth chart, and has been since Cleveland selected both in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Sanders was routinely listed as Cleveland’s No. 4 quarterback behind Flacco, Kenny Pickett and Gabriel during the offseason. That left him needing to make up ground in the starting quarterback race.
Sanders put forth a valiant effort to get himself into the quarterback battle during Week 1 of the preseason. Flacco, Pickett and Gabriel were all sidelined against the Carolina Panthers, allowing Sanders to start and play a majority of the snaps.
However, an oblique injury kept Sanders out of the lineup in preseason Week 2, after which Flacco was named the starter. The Colorado product then struggled immensely in preseason Week 3, completing 3 of 6 passes for 14 yards while being sacked five times for 41 yards against the Los Angeles Rams.
The good news for Sanders? His preseason Week 1 performance was enough to help him earn a spot on Cleveland’s 53-man roster. He was then able to move up into the third-string role after the Browns traded Pickett to the Las Vegas Raiders.
Still, it was always likely both Flacco and Gabriel would be given a chance to start before the Browns would consider giving Sanders a chance.
And if Gabriel performs well, Sanders may remain glued to the bench as his rookie season continues.
What does Joe Flacco benching mean for Shedeur Sanders?
Flacco’s benching may get Sanders slightly closer to playing. However, it doesn’t mean the 23-year-old will immediately become a member of Cleveland’s active, game-day roster.
Flacco is expected to serve as Gabriel’s backup despite his demotion. That leaves Sanders in his current role as Cleveland’s third-string quarterback, making him unlikely to be active on game day.
While not much will change for Sanders short-term, he may have a better long-term outlook after Flacco’s benching.
The Browns may be reluctant to turn back to Flacco as a starter again given his struggles. As such, if Gabriel runs into issues or gets injured, Sanders could be called upon to make his first start ahead of Flacco.
If that’s the case, why wouldn’t the Browns just make Sanders the backup after Flacco’s benching? Cleveland may simply want to have an experienced quarterback available to play in emergency situations so as to not ask too much of the team’s rookie quarterbacks without preparation.
Flacco, having made 195 career starts and won a Super Bowl, is ideal to have for mop-up duty.
Browns QB depth chart
Below is how the new-look Browns quarterback depth chart will stack up beginning in Week 5:
- Dillon Gabriel
- Joe Flacco
- Shedeur Sanders
- Bailey Zappe (practice squad)
The Browns also have Deshaun Watson under contract in addition to their four healthy quarterbacks. The 30-year-old isn’t expected to play in 2025 after tearing his Achilles twice in a three-month span. He is currently on Cleveland’s physically unable to perform (PUP) list.