"This is not about one person": Browns HC Kevin Stefanski gives blunt reponse after replacing Joe Flacco with Dillon Gabriel as QB1

Cleveland Browns coach Kevin Stefanski highlighted team-wide shortcomings while confirming that Joe Flacco would no longer start at quarterback.

Flacco ceded the job to rookie Dillon Gabriel ahead of Sunday’s clash with the Minnesota Vikings in London. Flacco opened the year with six interceptions against two touchdowns as the Browns slipped to 1-3.

Stefanski confirmed the change before the team left for London on Wednesday.

"This is not about one person," Stefanski said, via Cleveland.com's Mary Kay Cabot. "Joe is a captain of this football team and will need his leadership going forward. Excited for Dillon. He's handled everything really well since he's been on campus here."

Mary Kay Cabot

@MaryKayCabot

#Browns Kevin Stefanski": "This is not about one person. Joe is a captain of this football team and will need his leadership going forward ... Excited for Dillon. He's handled everything really well since he's been on campus here."

Cleveland’s offense has sputtered through the first month, never reaching 20 points in a game. The low point came in Sunday’s 34-10 defeat to Detroit, when the unit managed a single touchdown and turned the ball over three times. Flacco threw for 184 yards with two interceptions and lost a fumble on a strip sack by Aidan Hutchinson.

Kevin Stefanski won’t pin offensive struggles on Joe Flacco

Syndication: Detroit Free Press - Source: Imagn

Kevin Stefanski acknowledged the offense’s failures on Monday, but avoided singling out his quarterback. Reporters pressed whether Joe Flacco still gave Cleveland the best chance to win, and Stefanski again spread the accountability.

"Yeah, obviously, when we struggle like we did on offense, obviously, I understand the question, but that's not our focus," Stefanski said, via Pro Football Network. "We have to play better and we have to coach better. This is not about one person. My focus is on making sure the offense plays better."

Dillon Gabriel becomes Cleveland’s 41st different starter at the position since the franchise’s 1999 return. The rookie briefly appeared in Week 2 versus Baltimore, throwing a short touchdown pass. He also took one snap in Week 4 against Detroit.

Flacco moves into the backup role, while Shedeur Sanders stays at No. 3. When asked why Sanders wasn’t bumped up, Stefanski offered a brief response.

“Yeah, Joe’s the backup,” Stefanski said.

Gabriel established himself as the primary reserve during training camp and solidified the role after Kenny Pickett was traded to Las Vegas in August. The left-hander starred at UCF, Oklahoma and Oregon before entering the NFL. He set the FBS record with 155 career touchdown passes and finished third in last season’s Heisman Trophy vote.

Meanwhile, Flacco was the presumptive starter through camp, taking the majority of first-team snaps after Pickett injured his hamstring. Gabriel’s opportunities with the starters were limited until the preseason, when he impressed in extended action against the Eagles and the Rams.