Ready or not, Dillon Gabriel is now the Browns' starting quarterback.
How long the rookie from Oregon stays in that spot is the big question. On Oct. 1, the Browns confirmed the change in a statement as 40-year-old veteran Joe Flacco heads to the bench.
The announcement was made before the team was set to travel to London in preparations for Cleveland's game at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium Oct. 5 against the Vikings. Kickoff is 9:30 a.m. on WJW and NFL Network.
Gabriel -- a third-round pick ahead of fellow rookie Shedeur Sanders, who went in Round 5 -- impressed during the preseason with his quick decisions and accuracy. Now he will have to do that with the spotlight solely on him, starting with the Minnesota defense overseas.
Gabriel's debut won't be out of the cold. He's seen action in two of four games during the Browns' 1-3 start.
In Week 2 against the Ravens, he entered late in the fourth quarter and directed a scoring drive. He was three of three passing for 19 yards, and a touchdown pass to Dylan Sampson. Gabriel also played one series in the Sept. 28 loss at Detroit. He threw an incompletion on his only pass attempt.
Coming out of preseason camp, Gabriel on Aug. 26 was named the backup to Flacco. Also in the mix were Kenny Pickett and Sanders. Pickett has since been traded, and Sanders has yet to see action in the regular season.
Flacco's second go-round with the Browns has not fared anywhere near as well as the 2023 season, when he arrived late as a free agent and guided the team to the playoffs.
In four games this season, Flacco completed 93 of 160 passes for 815 yards, two touchdowns and six interceptions. The offense averaged just 14 points in Flacco's four starts.
On Sept. 29 in a Zoom call with reporters, Browns coach Kevin Stefanski deflected questions about Flacco remaining the starter.
"We have to play better as an offense," said Stefanski. "... It's not about one person. There are so many things that we need to do better and obviously quarterback included. But this is not about one person."
Stefanski was also asked about Sanders possibly being the backup to Gabriel if Gabriel was promoted to starter this week.
Said Stefanski: ""Obviously, not really where my focus is."
As of now, the backup to Gabriel -- either Flacco or Sanders -- remains a mystery.
Gabriel came to the Browns as one of college football's most successful quarterbacks. He played for Central Florida, Oklahoma and finally at Oregon. In all three stops, he amassed 18,722 yards, 155 passing touchdowns, and an FBS-record 189 total touchdowns. He had 63 starts in college.
Start No. 1 in the NFL will be Oct. 5 in London of all places.