By Trevor Squire
Copyright newsweek
The Cleveland Browns turned heads when they benched veteran Joe Flacco and thrust rookie Dillon Gabriel into the game late during a 41-17 Week 2 loss to the Baltimore Ravens.Head coach Kevin Stefanski addressed the decision to bench Flacco, who turned the ball over twice and was inefficient, but will keep hold of the starting job — for now.Cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot said that while she expects Flacco to remain the starter through a difficult stretch of the schedule, she appeared confident that rookies Shedeur Sanders and Gabriel are going to see the field, given the direction the Browns are going, after losing their first two games of the season.”I think the reason why we’re asking the question is because in a game like this, Joe turned the ball over twice. He had a horrible interception this game. But I do think the more that I think about this right now, they’re heading into a very grueling stretch,” Cabot said on the “Orange and Brown Talk” podcast. “I just don’t think now is the time to do it. So I agree with the decision to stick with Joe Flacco for now, but it’s going to get to the point at some time this season where they’re going to say, ‘Alright, let’s see what these rookies can do.’ “Gabriel is likely first in line to start if and when Flacco is benched indefinitely, but as seen before with Stefanski, he is confident making changes once the quarterback carousel starts spinning.Read more: Travis Hunter Turns Heads With New Look in Jaguars DebutThe Browns have a tough slate ahead, facing a gauntlet of NFC North teams in the Green Bay Packers, Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings the next three weeks.The schedule lightens up there with a Week 7 matchup with the Pittsburgh Steelers, which could be grounds for a quarterback change if Flacco does not keep the team competitive.Read more: Deion Sanders Sends Clear Message on What Browns Did to ShedeurCleveland will have two more games before a Week 9 bye to determine their quarterback plan the rest of the season — and it would be wise to see what they have with all potential starters heading into the bye.Sanders has remained adamant that his position as a backup is an opportunity to improve in anticipation of his chance to start.For more on the Browns and NFL, head to Newsweek Sports.
