Just under seven months ago, Cleveland Browns star defensive end Myles Garrett signed a record-setting contract extension, staying with the only franchise he’s known despite previously requesting a trade and expressing a desire to win.
Winning was something he believed he couldn’t do in Cleveland. Then, the Browns backed up the Brinks truck to him and convinced him otherwise. Garrett changed his tune and expressed confidence in Cleveland’s plan moving forward, particularly at quarterback.
Four weeks into the season though, with the Browns sitting at 1-3, Cleveland has made a change under center once again. Veteran Joe Flacco has been benched, and rookie quarterback Dillon Gabriel — one of two rookies the Browns drafted at the position — is entering the mix as the starter.
Gabriel will make his first start in Week 5 in London against the Minnesota Vikings. Garrett, who spoke to reporters Friday morning, is excited to see what Gabriel does in his first NFL start.
“He has a youthful exuberance. He brings just a different vibe, different attitude, and he just always has a smile on his face. He’s, he’s got a lot of energy and I’m looking forward to seeing how he moves around the pocket and how he plays the game,” Garrett said of his new starting QB, according to video via Cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot on X. “This will be a different pace than what he’s been used to against the ones, and it’s early on. We’ll be counting on him, but he can also count on us to be there to support him in each phase of the game.
“He doesn’t have to look forward to trying to take over or do too much. He just has to play within himself, execute the scheme, and allow the game to come to him.”
The move to switch to Gabriel isn’t all that much of a surprise, considering the struggles the Browns have had offensively, and Flacco’s  ineffectiveness. Through the first four games of the season, Flacco has just three touchdowns to six interceptions. He was picked off twice in the Browns’ Week 4 loss to the Detroit Lions, too, and is completing just 58.1% of his passes.
The only real bright spot for the Browns on offense has been rookie running backs Quinshon Judkins and Dylan Sampson. Now, they’re hoping another member of that rookie class can provide a spark at the most important position in sports.
Coming off a stellar collegiate career at UCF, Oklahoma and Oregon, Gabriel earned the No. 2 spot behind Flacco, which also saw the Browns trade former Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett to the Las Vegas Raiders. Gabriel beat out fellow rookie Shedeur Sanders in the process.
Now, he’ll have a tough transition to the NFL as a starter, doing so against a Brian Flores-led defense with the Vikings, and doing so overseas, before then returning to the United States and having to deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers on the road in Week 6.
Gabriel is a talented QB, but it was a surprise to see him go in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft. It was especially shocking to see him be the fifth QB off the board, especially ahead of names like Sanders, and Ohio State’s Will Howard, who landed with the Steelers in the sixth round.
Garrett might be saying all the right things now about his new QB, but it’s the same song and dance under center, one the Browns have become accustomed to.
