Kevin Stefanski Deflects Question About Keeping Joe Flacco As Starting QB in Week 5

The Browns coach previously remained firm in his decision to keep Flacco as QB1.

Browns coach Kevin Stefanski wouldn't say if Joe Flacco would remain QB1. / Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images

Joe Flacco was named the Browns' QB1 for the 2025 season after a long offseason quarterback competition. And, despite the 1-2 start in the first three weeks with Flacco leading the offense, Cleveland coach Kevin Stefanski remained firm with his decision to stick with the veteran quarterback.

That is, until after the Browns' Week 4 loss to the Lions. Stefanski didn't give a clear answer at all in regards to who the starting quarterback will be moving forward. He sidestepped the question when asked on Monday.

"I understand the question, we have to play better as an offense, we have to coach better on offense," Stefanski said when asked if the Browns were sticking with Flacco. "It's not about one person, there's so many things that we need to do better, and obviously quarterback included, but this is not about one person."

When asked to clarify if this answer meant "yes" with sticking to Flacco, Stefanski kept the answer even more open ended.

"My focus is on making sure this offense plays better."

There's a good chance Flacco could be benched in Week 5 vs. the Vikings in London if Stefanski is deflecting this much.

If Flacco does get demoted this weekend, rookie Dillon Gabriel would likely take over as the starting quarterback. Shedeur Sanders sits third on the depth chart behind Gabriel, so even though fans want to see his NFL debut, that might not happen this week.

We'll see if Stefanski offers more of a clearer answer as the week progresses.

The loss to the Lions was arguably Flacco's worst performance of the season as he completed 16 of 34 passes for 184 yards, zero touchdowns and two interceptions.

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