Browns head coach won’t commit to Joe Flacco ahead of London game vs. Vikings

It appears as if the Cleveland Browns could be prepared to make a change at quarterback as Kevin Stefanski would not commit to Joe Flacco as the team's starter in London.

Sep 28, 2025; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Cleveland Browns quarterback Joe Flacco (15) warms up before the game against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images | Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images

Kevin Stefanski is officially dodging questions about the Cleveland Browns starting quarterback situation.

Stefanski met with the media on Monday where he was faced with questions about Joe Flacco’s job security following the team’s unexciting loss against the Detroit Lions.

"Yeah. I understand the question,” Stefanski said in response to a question about his team’s quarterback. “We have to play better on offense. This is not about one person."

Immediately following Sunday’s loss, Stefanski left the door ajar to make a change at the quarterback position. While he expressed faith and support of Flacco, the head coach of the Browns has yet to come out and confirm that the 40-year-old quarterback will be the starter moving forward.

Flacco has eight interceptions throughout the first four games of the season for the Browns. Surely, Stefanski’s staff was hoping to replicate some of the magic that Flacco gave Cleveland in 2023, but he seems like a completely different player.

Further, the Browns offensive line is completely broken. Cleveland traded for veteran offensive tackle Cam Robinson as Cornelius Lucas and KT Leveston were turnstiles against Aidan Hutchinson and the ferocious Lions’ pass rush. Flacco was hit nine times and sacked an additional three times in Week 4.

The Browns have been blown out in two of their four games this season. In both of those games, Stefanski has turned to rookie quarterback Dillon Gabriel for mop-up duty. Against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 2, Gabriel manufactured a 3-for-3 passing touchdown drive. Against the Lions on Sunday, Gabriel only mustered a pair of handoffs and a bad incompletion on third down.

With Flacco at the helm, Cleveland’s offense is sputtering. The Browns have yet to score 20 points all season – and they haven’t scored 20 points in a game with Stefanski calling the plays since 2023. 

There’s no denying that Cleveland has to be better offensively, especially because it feels as if they’re wasting the best defense in the league. The locker room can only handle so many incompetent games before they throw in the towel on the season before the calendar even flips to the winter months.

Stefanski is keeping the door open for Gabriel to take over as the team’s starting quarterback. While some Browns fans might quip that the play on the field cannot get any worse, Gabriel is a wildly unknown commodity who was inconsistent throughout training camp. 

However, the Browns trusted him enough to name him the backup quarterback after trading away Kenny Pickett for a fifth-rounder from the Las Vegas Raiders.

Until Stefanski makes a firm stance on this quarterback situation, speculation will continue to swirl about who will start for the Browns on Sunday morning in London against the Minnesota Vikings.