Dillon Gabriel had a miserable outing against the New England Patriots during a 31-13 loss on Sunday but the Cleveland Browns don’t plan to bench the struggling rookie.
Gabriel completed 21 of 35 passes for two touchdowns and two interceptions against the Patriots. Just two of those completions went to wide receivers — a reflection of his conservative approach and reluctance to push the ball downfield.
Top target Jerry Jeudy was nearly invisible in the passing game, drawing only two targets and finishing without a catch.
“Didn’t do anything good enough today. Frustrated but we’ll win as a team and lose as a team,” Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said. “We’ll look at everything during the bye week and figure out a way to get this thing going with more than half our season left. The results have to be better, obviously.
“When I say look at everything, when you lose like this, you have to look at everything. Every position, what I’m doing. It’s frustrating for where we are as a team.”
Browns Expect Ups and Downs With QB Dillon Gabriel
Gabriel is now 1-3 as the starter and has not looked like a potential franchise quarterback. So will the Browns also “look” at making a change at quarterback? It doesn’t appear so.
“I will say, with a young quarterback, you understand there will be ups and downs. We need to do a better job. I need to do a better job,” Stefanski said, shooting down the idea of Gabriel being replaced. “I just want to make the point, we have to be better in every area, including how we are putting these guys in position to succeed. Are we doing enough with the quarterback position? Do we need to do a better job? I think I know the answer. It’s yes.”
There have been some lows, but it’s hard to pinpoint any real highs with Gabriel. He’s thrown for just 683 yards across his four starts and committed his first two turnovers in the loss to the Patriots.
“I’ve got to find solutions and make sure the outcome changes,” Gabriel said. “We have to work on that.”
Browns QB Shedeur Sanders Sat Out Sunday
Rookie Shedeur Sanders is next in line to start games for the Browns. However, he did not suit up on Sunday, sitting out with a back injury that happened late in the week. Practice squad quarterback Bailey Zappe took over the backup role with Sanders out.
Sanders — a fifth-round pick — has been waiting patiently for his opportunity. If Gabriel does get another shot and continues to struggle out of the bye, it could come sooner than later for Sanders.
“With Sanders coming up the learning curve quickly, and displaying his natural arm talent every day in practice, Gabriel must show that he can run an explosive passing attack, or the Browns will be tempted to see what their other rookie can do sooner than perhaps they want to,” Browns inside Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com said ahead of Week 8.
The Browns face the New York Jets when they emerge from the bye. The Jets picked up their first win of the season on Sunday, topping the Bengals.
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