The Browns made what many will consider to be a franchise-altering decision on Wednesday, opting to go with rookie quarterback Dillon Gabriel under center for their Week 5 game against the Vikings and sending veteran signal-caller Joe Flacco to the bench.
The move to Gabriel, who was selected with the 94th pick in this past April’s draft, comes amid a 1-3 start to the season for Cleveland. Through four games, coach Kevin Stefanski’s offense is averaging just 14 points (second-worst in the NFL to only the rudderless Titans), while Flacco has thrown just two touchdowns to six interceptions.
Needless to say, the Brownies need a spark, and they’re going with their young buck to get one.
With any change at quarterback comes a natural shift in how an offense runs, as coaches will lean into not only what the player does best, but also certain plays and packages that they’d prefer to run. So how might the Browns adjust this Sunday in London? Let’s take a look.
Shrinking the playbook
The first two steps in Cleveland’s changing of the guard are simple: shrink the playbook and take a load off the quarterback's plate.
NFL playbooks are like encyclopedias. From formations, protections, and double play calls—to audibles, sight adjustments, and ways to counter a blitz—the amount of information is daunting, especially for a rookie.
To ease Gabriel into his role as starter, the Browns will likely reduce the number of plays that they’ll call while also limiting his pre-snap responsibilities while he settles in. This shouldn’t be much of an issue for Stefanski, who has tailored his offense multiple times over the past several seasons, starting seven(!) different quarterbacks across 2023 to '24. That span famously includes a surprise run to the playoffs with Flacco, who was signed off the couch during the 2023 season and won Comeback Player of the Year.
But what will the new script look like with Gabriel?
Quicker throws
A mix of the West Coast and the Air Coryell system, Stefanski’s offense is predicated not only on running the football—but doing it in multiple ways. For the sake of discussion, we won’t get into the weeds on Cleveland’s ground game, especially since it’s not likely to change much with someone new under center.
What will change, however, is how the Browns attack opposing defenses through the air.
Equipped with one of the strongest arms the NFL has ever seen, the 40-year-old Flacco has made quite a living off his ability to drop back in the pocket and deliver downfield strikes. Said skill set has made him a clean fit for Cleveland’s approach of spreading receivers wide and letting routes develop into the intermediate and deep parts of the field. Gabriel’s style of play, however, is a bit different.
Over six collegiate seasons and 64 career games played, the 24-year-old excelled as a point guard-type of quarterback. Gabriel is known for his fast decision-making and speedy release, attacking the short—and most efficiently the middle—part of the field while letting his pass catchers do the rest.
Quick reads, and even quicker throws between the hashes, could reasonably be on tap for yet another iteration of the Stefanski offense in Cleveland.
A new blindside
Gabriel will join the Dolphins’ Tua Tagovailoa and Falcons’ Michael Penix Jr. as the only three left-handed starting quarterbacks in the NFL. For the offensive line, that means the blindside will flip.
Teams generally play their better protector at left tackle to protect what is normally a righty quarterback’s back. With Gabriel now under center in Cleveland, however, that duty will now flip to the right side. For the Browns, that makes veteran Jack Conklin the more important Browns bookend on the offensive line.
Conklin, 31, started 12 games for Cleveland at right tackle in 2024, but has been inactive for the past three weeks as he deals with an elbow injury. Meanwhile, left tackle Dawand Jones was sent to season-ending IR last week after undergoing knee surgery, and the team just recently traded for Cam Robinson from the Texans on Monday to shore up the line.
Long story short? Not only will the team need to adjust for a flipped QB, but it faces what’s essentially a complete makeover up front ahead of Gabriel’s first NFL start.
