Report: Vikings to See New Starting QB on Sunday
The Minnesota Vikings eye a Week 5 showdown in London with the Cleveland Browns, and all signs point to Brian Flores preparing for an under-the-radar rookie quarterback: Dillon Gabriel.
Facing the Cleveland Browns in London on Sunday, the Minnesota Vikings will reportedly see a new face under center for the very first time.
The tea leaves are aligning to suggest that incumbent starter Joe Flacco will be benched and that Gabriel will make his first NFL start across the pond.
Dillon Gabriel Will Reportedly Start against the Minnesota Vikings
In theory, Minnesota should feast. Utterly feast.
All Signs Point to Dillon Gabriel at QB for Browns
It’s Flacco out, and Gabriel in, evidently.
CBS Sports‘ Matthew Zenith tweeted Tuesday, “The current belief is that the Browns are going to make a change at quarterback and start rookie Dillon Gabriel this week vs. the Vikings, sources tell CBS Sports.”
Zenith added, “The change comes shortly after coach Kevin Stefanski sidestepped questions about potentially changing quarterbacks following Week 4’s 34-10 loss to the Lions that dropped Cleveland to 1-3 on the 2025 season.”
“Gabriel’s first start will be in Week 5 when the Browns face the Vikings in London. He will be the first quarterback to make his first NFL start outside the United States, according to CBS Sports research.”
So, unless CBS Sports has its wires crossed, Minnesota will get a look at a quarterback in his maiden voyage start this weekend.
… and the Vikings Should Feast
Since Brian Flores took the reins of Minnesota’s defense in 2023, he’s faced a rookie quarterback four times — and Minnesota won four times. The Vikings are undefeated, indeed, against rookie quarterbacks with the Flores defense running wild.
This season, the defense has provided a mixed bag, generally playing well and making history against the Cincinnati Bengals, courtesy of cornerback Isaiah Rodgers, but struggling to stop the run in games against the Atlanta Falcons and Pittsburgh Steelers. Before 2024, Minnesota had no major problems with stopping the run.
So, unless the 2025 defense is up to its old tricks, allowing Quinshon Judkins, Jerome Ford, and Dylan Sampson to cook, the purple defense should, in theory, smother Gabriel, who was not overly coveted coming out of the University of Oregon five months ago.
Joe Flacco’s Struggles
Why Gabriel? Simple — Flacco has stunk. He’s 40, he’s immobile, and he stinks. Minnesota actually put the clamps on Flacco rather easily last season when Flacco led the Anthony Richardson-less Indianapolis Colts into U.S. Bank Stadium for a loss.
This go-round, Flacco ranks 34th of 35 qualifying quarterbacks per EPA+CPOE, a stat that measures wins added per passing attempts.
Gabriel may not play any better, but at least he’s 16 years younger than Flacco.
No Shedeur Sanders Quite Yet
Some casual fans might wonder, “Hey, why don’t they play Shedeur Sanders of Sanders family fame?” That’s simple, too: Sanders is the Browns’ QB3 on the depth chart, and that’s been the pecking order for about one month. If Flacco had been injured before his benching, Gabriel would’ve entered the game because that’s how a depth chart works.
Sanders produced one decent preseason game in August, which prompted the internet to scream, “I told you he was good!” But that performance was fool’s gold, as the preseason is, well, fool’s gold. Kyle Sloter and Lucky Jackson can attest. Sanders struggled mightily after the first exhibition game and wound up snagging a QB3 assignment as a rookie.
Scouting Report on Dillon Gabriel
NFL.com‘s Lance Zierlein on Gabriel before the draft:
Gabriel is an older and smaller QB prospect, but he offers a tremendous amount of game experience and productivity. He operates with poise and confidence from the pocket. His field vision is average, but he typically takes care of the football. He’s capable of playing within the confines of an offense and can create yards with his legs as needed.
Gabriel’s accuracy and timing is accurate on shorter throws, but the placement becomes erratic when pushed outside of his comfortable range. He might require a ball-control passing game to help manage his lack of arm talent and keep him from throwing into closing windows. He’s an effective scrambler who is able to elude pressure and make plays outside of the pocket. Gabriel requires a very specific offensive fit, but he’s a gamer with enough good tape to have a chance to become a decent backup.
Pro Football Focus‘ Nick Akridge on Gabriel: “He’s great in the RPO and quick-passing games, showing off quick decision-making. That experience is also clear on the mental side. He does a great job of understanding defenses and reading defenders’ leverage to get the ball out on time. Dillon Gabriel is an intriguing prospect with extensive college experience, dating back to 2019.”
“However, his NFL potential is hampered by his size limitations. That size also led to Gabriel’s conservative approach, as he frequently missed opportunities for big plays in 2024. For Gabriel to have a successful NFL career, he’ll need to be in an offense that highlights his quick decision-making.”
The Browns list Gabriel at 5’11,” but some hinted before the draft that he could be closer to 5’9″ or 5’10.”
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