After a 1-3 start to the season, the Cleveland Browns officially decided to bench veteran quarterback Joe Flacco in favor of rookie Dillon Gabriel. While the move seemed inevitable to most, one Browns insider recently revealed that the decision may not have been head coach Kevin Stefanski’s call but instead came from Cleveland’s front office.
Browns Insider Suggests Front Office Pulled the Strings on Cleveland’s QB Change
The Browns finished the 2025 NFL Draft by adding two quarterbacks to their roster, selecting Gabriel in the third round and Shedeur Sanders in the fifth. While Flacco entered the season as the starter, one of the rookies was always expected to take over eventually.
Most assumed Gabriel would eventually earn the starting job, but few predicted it would happen as early as Week 5, especially since many in the Browns organization felt Flacco gave the team the best chance to win.
Even after the 1-3 start, Stefanski was widely expected to keep Flacco in the lineup as long as possible. With Gabriel now named the starter, Browns insider Tony Grossi believes it was Cleveland’s general manager, Andrew Berry, who made the call, hinting at a possible power struggle within the organization.
“I think it was the GM who made this change,” – @TonyGrossi on the Browns decision to start Dillon Gabriel @BeachwoodDental https://t.co/RIlKMRNXc9 https://t.co/KH33DWDTKN pic.twitter.com/BQ7GWtQxJB
— ESPN Cleveland (@ESPNCleveland) October 3, 2025
“I think it was the GM who made this change,” Grossi said.
After a 3-14 campaign in 2024, Berry and Stefanski entered the 2025 season with questions about their job security. Stefanski needs wins to keep his position and likely doesn’t fully trust either rookie quarterback to deliver that.
For Berry, however, proving his ability to evaluate talent is key. If Gabriel can perform as even a competent NFL starter and give a spark to Cleveland’s offense, it would strengthen Berry’s case to remain as general manager.
It makes sense that Berry might have been more eager for Gabriel to take over the starting job than Stefanski was. Regardless, it was clear the Browns’ offense needed a shakeup.
Through four games, Cleveland ranks 30th in the NFL according to PFSN’s OFFi metric, while Flacco is the 34th-ranked quarterback in PFSN’s QBi metric. Those numbers aren’t good, and while Stefanski may have hesitated to give up on Flacco, switching to Gabriel was necessary.
If Grossi’s theory is correct, this could be a make-or-break move for both Berry and Stefanski, since there’s no guarantee Gabriel will perform better than Flacco. If the rookie can step in and help fix Cleveland’s offensive struggles, it could be a season-saving move for the head coach and the general manager.
The decision to start Gabriel will be tested immediately. The young quarterback will make his first start in Week 5 against a tough Minnesota Vikings defense. The Browns face off against Minnesota on Sunday, October 5, at 9:30 a.m. ET in London, England. The game will be broadcast nationally on the NFL Network.
