{"id":34142,"date":"2025-09-29T14:16:38","date_gmt":"2025-09-29T14:16:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/?p=34142"},"modified":"2025-09-29T14:16:38","modified_gmt":"2025-09-29T14:16:38","slug":"browns-at-quarterback-crossroads-should-dillon-gabriel-replace-joe-flacco-after-lions-defeat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/?p=34142","title":{"rendered":"Browns at quarterback crossroads: Should Dillon Gabriel replace Joe Flacco after Lions defeat?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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CLEVELAND, Ohio \u2014 Following another deflating offensive performance in the Browns\u2019 34-10 loss to the Detroit Lions, the debate over Cleveland\u2019s quarterback situation has reached a fever pitch. On Sunday\u2019s 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?<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes 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,\u201d Cabot said during the podcast. \u201cSo I would at least be giving this some serious thought just to see if you cannot generate some points with Dillon Gabriel.\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Podcast host Dan Labbe questioned the organization\u2019s overall quarterback plan, pointing to their offseason moves as evidence of inconsistent thinking.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf they did have this grand plan to, like, let\u2019s wait, we don\u2019t 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?\u201d Labbe asked during the podcast. \u201cThat\u2019s got to be part of the discussion, right? If they had this plan, then they shouldn\u2019t have just made Dillon Gabriel the backup.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\u2019 offense currently lacks, potentially helping to compensate for an offensive line that struggled mightily in pass protection against Detroit.<\/p>\n

\"Browns<\/p>\n

Browns film analyst Lance Reisland acknowledged the potential benefit of Gabriel\u2019s different skill set later in the podcast: \u201cYou\u2019re getting the Joe Flacco turnovers without the Joe Flacco cooking. And that\u2019s a problem. … But you got to fix other pieces here.\u201d<\/p>\n

What makes Gabriel particularly interesting is his reputation as a processing savant \u2014 often referred to as a \u201csupercomputer\u201d by the Browns organization and media. That mental acuity, combined with his mobility, could potentially help an offense that appears stagnant and predictable.<\/p>\n

Cabot made perhaps the strongest case for a quarterback change, emphasizing the minimal risk involved.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am more than willing to try it and see what happens. And if it absolutely doesn\u2019t work out, then you can go back to Joe,\u201d she argued. \u201cBut I don\u2019t know that you can keep going on like this week after week after week and expect that you\u2019re not going to lose everyone else on this football team, including your championship caliber defense.\u201d<\/p>\n

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?<\/p>\n

For the complete discussion and more insights on the Browns\u2019 quarterback dilemma, listen to the full Orange and Brown Talk podcast episode.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s the podcast for this week:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Would Dillon Gabriel’s mobility and 64 college starts provide the spark Cleveland’s struggling offense desperately needs.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":34143,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-34142","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cleveland-browns"],"yoast_head":"\nBrowns at quarterback crossroads: Should Dillon Gabriel replace Joe Flacco after Lions defeat? - Breaking News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/?p=34142\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Browns at quarterback crossroads: Should Dillon Gabriel replace Joe Flacco after Lions defeat? 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