Dillon Gabriel faces a tough road as he competes for the starting quarterback job in Cleveland, going up against Shedeur Sanders, Joe Flacco, and Kenny Pickett.
The Browns drafted Gabriel in the third round, signaling belief in his potential as a future franchise quarterback. But that outlook shifted when Cleveland made the surprise move of selecting Sanders in the fifth round, one of the most talked-about picks of the draft after his slide.
With no clear No. 1 on the depth chart, Gabriel and Sanders have been thrust into a high-profile competition. Both have publicly downplayed any tension, but the rivalry has sparked plenty of debate and speculation online.
The NFLPA posted a video from the Rookie Premier event of Gabriel in his No. 5 Browns jersey along with the caption, “Adding a southpaw to the AFC North mix.” More than a few fans showed their unfiltered support for Sanders in the comments.
“Stadium gonna be full of No. 12 jerseys and boos if he gets the ball before Sanders,” one fan said.
“We don’t care. Give us 144!” another said, referring to the spot where Sanders was selected.
But others expressed sympathy for Gabriel, who has been put in a challenging situation to begin his NFL career.
“Dillon is basically a casualty in the Sanders vs NFL war,” a fan said.
“Why are people hating on Dillon just because Sanders is on the same team? Show some class, you children,” another added.
Browns Lay Out Plan for QB Competition
The Browns have said the four quarterbacks will compete openly. However, the team is still determining exactly how they will manage the reps.
“I tell the players, ‘Don’t pay attention to where you are on line, because where you are on Tuesday, it may be different on Wednesday.’ So no, we don’t pay close attention to that,” Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said. “Certainly you have to decide what order the guys are going to go out, and sometimes it may be player, X, player Y, whatever it is. The big thing for us is making sure we give the guys enough reps that they need. … It’s not gonna be a everybody gets 25% of these reps.”
The Browns have kept quiet about a frontrunner in their quarterback competition. However, their actions suggest a possible pecking order. Pickett was acquired in March, signaling a level of investment from the team. Flacco, by contrast, was a late free-agent signing.
The draft told a similar story. Cleveland selected Gabriel earlier than expected, seemingly reaching to secure him, while passing on Sanders multiple times before finally grabbing him in the fifth round.
Shedeur Sanders Praises Unity in Browns Quarterback Room
Sanders gave some insight into what the quarterback room has been like so far and had a glowing review of his new teammates.
“Everybody’s cool,” Sanders told host Kay Adams during the NFLPA Rookie Premiere event. “Outside the room, people try to pit us against each other, but inside the room, we know we’re one.”
Sanders has had an especially strong reaction to sharing a QB room with Flacco, who is 17 years older than him.
“We’re all different characters. It’s funny going there and seeing Joe every day. It’s fun to see him because I’m like, ‘Wow, I’m really with Joe Flacco right now, we’re on the same team,’” Sanders said. “Then, of course, with Kenny, the experience he has being in the league for these years is cool just to see the process of it. And Deshaun, of course, he’s active in there, he’s in all the meetings, so it’s cool talking to him.”
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