Dillon Gabriel had a solid first NFL start when he went up against a tough Minnesota Vikings defense in Week 5.
The rookie threw for 190 yards and two touchdowns with no turnovers, avoiding anything that would open up a quarterback controversy going forward.
This is Gabriel’s job until proven otherwise, especially now that Joe Flacco has been traded to the Cincinnati Bengals, but not before passing down plenty of knowledge to his successor.
Gabriel recently revealed what he learned from the former Super Bowl champion, and he had plenty of kind words for the 40-year-old.
“I think just overall his process. How he’s been about his business from day one. More importantly, the friendship and the person he is. Although there is an age gap,” Gabriel said.
Dillon Gabriel, asked what he learned from Joe Flacco:
"I think just overall his process. How he's been about his business from day one."
"More importantly, the friendship and the person he is. Although there is an age gap…"
Gabriel says he appreciates Flacco's help.
— Andrew Siciliano (@AndrewSiciliano) October 8, 2025
There’s no question that Flacco certainly made an impact on the 24-year-old, even though they didn’t have a lot of time together.
The plan was to keep Flacco around a bit longer and for his tenure as the starting QB to go better than it did, but after turning over the ball eight times in four games while Gabriel looked poised beyond his years for months, it was time to make the move.
Hopefully, Flacco taught him a few things about how to handle the rigors of being a franchise quarterback, because this organization has been searching for one for decades.
If Gabriel can become the answer, it would solve a lot of problems for the Browns and change their trajectory going forward.
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