Browns QB Dillon Gabriel confident entering first start vs. Vikings
Ready or not, Dillon Gabriel will make his first NFL start on Sunday.
Gabriel, a 24-year-old whom the Cleveland Browns selected in the third round out of Oregon this spring, insists that he is as prepared as he will ever be.
"You wait for the perfect time, you're going to wait for a lifetime," Gabriel said. "So, for me, I've always been ready."
Gabriel will take over under center when Cleveland (1-3) kicks off against the Minnesota Vikings (2-2) on Sunday at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London.
Browns coach Kevin Stefanski announced that he would make a change at quarterback after his team lost 34-10 against the Detroit Lions a week ago. He benched Joe Flacco, a 40-year-old veteran who had six interceptions to go along with two touchdowns through the season's first four games.
In comes Gabriel, whom the Browns drafted at No. 94 overall. He has appeared in two games in backup duty, completing three of his four passes for 19 yards and one touchdown.
Flacco will serve as Cleveland's No. 2 quarterback behind Gabriel, and rookie Shedeur Sanders will remain as the team's third signal-caller.
Stefanski said the entire team needed to improve, not just one position.
"We need to coach better, we need to block better, catch better, run better -- all of the above, we need to be better," Stefanski said. "And I know the quarterback position gets quite a bit of scrutiny. I understand that. But this is about our entire team playing better."
The Vikings also will look for improvement on both sides of the ball.
Minnesota is coming off a 24-21 loss against the Pittsburgh Steelers last week in the NFL's first-ever game in Dublin. The Vikings scored the final 15 points of the game but could not complete the comeback after falling behind 24-6.
Vikings quarterback Carson Wentz is slated to make his third start of the season against Cleveland. He has completed 66.7 percent of his passes for 523 yards with four touchdowns and two interceptions.
Rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy is progressing from his high ankle sprain but is expected to remain out. Wentz has the confidence of Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell and the rest of the staff.
"I've been really happy with him," O'Connell said. "If you really peel back the layers on it, he's two tipped-ball interceptions from having a pretty clean sheet and running our offense, helping us score some points.
"Consistency amongst all 11 guys on offense, regardless of who's in, is what we're looking for. Because we feel when we do the little things ... we can have a good day on offense."
Justin Jefferson is Wentz's clear-cut No. 1 target in the passing game. Jefferson has 22 catches for 326 yards and one touchdown in four games, which is considerably more than No. 2 target T.J. Hockenson, who has 13 catches for 115 yards and one touchdown.
For the Browns, Jerry Jeudy leads all receivers with 182 yards on 13 catches. Rookie Quinshon Judkins is the team's top rusher with 49 carries for 237 yards and two touchdowns.
This is the 17th regular-season meeting between the teams. Minnesota leads the series 11-5, but Cleveland won the most recent meeting 14-7 in 2021.
Steelers Not Ready to Trust Roman Wilson
In theory, Calvin Austin III's shoulder injury should free up more reps for second-year Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Roman Wilson. In actuality, however, the team's veteran depth options may get more looks for the time being.
While appearing on 93.7 The Fan, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Ray Fittipaldo stated that while he expects Wilson to earn some opportunities to prove himself amidst Austin's pending absence, Pittsburgh still isn't entirely sure how to deploy him and thus may depend more heavily on Ben Skowronek and Scotty Miller.
"I think Roman's gonna get a shot, but I still think they're learning about him and what his game is and how he can help the football team," Fittipaldo said, per
"It's gonna be by committee, but I have a feeling it's gonna be more Skowronek and Miller than Wilson."
Following a lost rookie campaign in which he logged just five snaps after being taken in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft, Wilson bounced back with a strong showing this past preseason that saw him finish with four receptions for 96 yards and a touchdown.
Though Wilson (44) has outsnapped both Skowronek and Miller (35 each) on offense so far this year, the former has recorded just a single catch for seven yards.
It's clear Wilson has talent and may eventually contribute in a meaningful manner for the Steelers, but there's still some reservations about his readiness at the current moment.
The 24-year-old played in the slot at the end of his collegiate career at Michigan and thus would seem to profile as a natural replacement for Austin, but it was Miller and Skowronek who filled in there once he sustained his injury against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 4 rather than Wilson.
It's possible that the Steelers may elevate Isaiah Hodgins from their practice squad or even look for outside help while Austin is on the mend, which in turn would lessen Wilson's chances of making an impact even further.
Though there was some hype surrounding him coming into the season, Wilson has yet to truly ingratiate himself within Pittsburgh's offense.
