CLEVELAND, Ohio — Following another deflating offensive performance in the Browns’ 34-10 loss to the Detroit Lions, the debate over Cleveland’s quarterback situation has reached a fever pitch. On Sunday’s Orange and Brown Talk podcast, the discussion centered around one burning question: Has the time finally come to bench Joe Flacco for rookie Dillon Gabriel?
Browns beat reporter Mary Kay Cabot made her position clear, arguing that after three consecutive weeks of offensive futility, a change might be necessary purely to create a spark.
“Sometimes I think a change just for the sake of making the change can shake things up a little bit, can kind of wake guys up and maybe improve things a bit,” Cabot said during the podcast. “So I would at least be giving this some serious thought just to see if you cannot generate some points with Dillon Gabriel.”
The statistics certainly tell a troubling story. Flacco finished with just a 39.3 passer rating against Detroit, completing only 47% of his passes while throwing two interceptions and suffering a strip-sack. The offense managed just 10 points, with only seven coming from sustained offensive production.
Podcast host Dan Labbe questioned the organization’s overall quarterback plan, pointing to their offseason moves as evidence of inconsistent thinking.
“If they did have this grand plan to, like, let’s wait, we don’t want to start a rookie until Week 7 or Week 8 or whatever it is, why in the world did they trade Kenny Pickett then?” Labbe asked during the podcast. “That’s got to be part of the discussion, right? If they had this plan, then they shouldn’t have just made Dillon Gabriel the backup.”
Gabriel presents an intriguing alternative. The rookie quarterback started an impressive 64 games in college, giving him a wealth of experience despite his NFL rookie status. His mobility could also provide a dimension the Browns’ offense currently lacks, potentially helping to compensate for an offensive line that struggled mightily in pass protection against Detroit.
Browns film analyst Lance Reisland acknowledged the potential benefit of Gabriel’s different skill set later in the podcast: “You’re getting the Joe Flacco turnovers without the Joe Flacco cooking. And that’s a problem. … But you got to fix other pieces here.”
What makes Gabriel particularly interesting is his reputation as a processing savant — often referred to as a “supercomputer” by the Browns organization and media. That mental acuity, combined with his mobility, could potentially help an offense that appears stagnant and predictable.
Cabot made perhaps the strongest case for a quarterback change, emphasizing the minimal risk involved.
“I am more than willing to try it and see what happens. And if it absolutely doesn’t work out, then you can go back to Joe,” she argued. “But I don’t know that you can keep going on like this week after week after week and expect that you’re not going to lose everyone else on this football team, including your championship caliber defense.”
With the Browns heading to London next week to face the Minnesota Vikings, the quarterback question looms larger than ever. Will Kevin Stefanski stick with Flacco or will Gabriel get his opportunity to provide the spark this offense desperately needs?
For the complete discussion and more insights on the Browns’ quarterback dilemma, listen to the full Orange and Brown Talk podcast episode.
Here’s the podcast for this week:
