Dillon Gabriel says he's been ready for the QB1 spot on the Cleveland Browns

Dillon Gabriel is ready for the challenge of being the starting quarterback for the Cleveland Browns.

On Wednesday, Oct. 1, it was officially announced that the Browns had named Gabriel the starting quarterback ahead of the team's Week Five game against the Minnesota Vikings. The two sides are squaring off in London, England, for international competition.

Gabriel will take over for the veteran Joe Flacco, who led the Browns to a 1-3 record through the first four games of the season. It will be his first NFL start.

Ahead of this upcoming weekend's game, he spoke to the media about the chance to start this early in his career.

"You wait for the perfect time, you’re gonna wait a whole lifetime," he said. "So for me, I’ve always been ready.”

This comment from Gabriel serves as an exciting expectation for Cleveland Browns fans, as the former Oregon Duck looks to turn around the strugglesome season. Flacco carried very little excitement in his game and the youthful exuberance can provide a jolt of energy to the rest of the offense.

In college, he carried the Ducks to a Big Ten championship in 2024 while passing for 3,857 yards and 30 touchdowns.

One of the biggest issues in 2025 for the Browns has been turnovers, and fortunately, that's not an issue for Gabriel. In his six-year collegiate career, he threw just 32 interceptions in 64 games, averaging 0.5 picks per game.

Flacco will serve as Gabriel's backup, with rookie Shedeur Sanders slotted in as the No. 3 option in the quarterback room.

Head coach Kevin Stefanski was asked about the change after the loss to the Detroit Lions, 34-10, he spoke on Gabriel's ability to handle the transition from college.

"From the second he's been here, he's been working very hard," Stefanski said. "He's a very intelligent young man. He's done a nice job throughout practice, and this whole season he's been learning how to get yourself ready and understand the rhythm of an NFL week and what that looks like as a backup. Obviously, now feel like he's ready to go as a starter."

In the preseason, Gabriel looked solid and held his own. He passed for 25 completions on 37 attempts, good enough for 67.6% through the air, 272 yards and one touchdown.

Through four weeks, the Browns rank in the bottom half of the league in passing yards per game and second-to-last in points per game. The hope is that he can be a spark plug for the offense as they look to start ticking down wins.

"...[Dillon's] handled everything well since he's been on campus here. So just gonna have to support the young man," he said.

Gabriel has gotten limited time under center for the Browns in 2025. He has come in relief for Flacco twice, in two blowout losses. The first came against the Baltimore Ravens where he threw a passing touchdown to rookie running back Dylan Sampson, with the second occurring this past weekend against the Lions. In total, he has played 10 snaps on the year, completing 3-of-4 passes for 19 yards and one touchdown.

Even with plenty of injuries and struggles riddled throughout the roster, the Browns are better off handing the team off to Gabriel and seeing what the third-rounder can do.

The game is set to begin at 9:30 a.m. EST on Sunday, Oct. 5, from Tottenham Hotspur New Stadium in London, England.