The home crowd at Huntington Bank Field didn’t waste any time making their feelings on Cleveland Browns quarterback Dillon Gabriel very clear.
Gabriel entered the game with a 1-4 record as the starter and ranking near the bottom of the league in every major passing category. The Browns’ offense has struggled as a whole this season, averaging just 16.2 points and 265.1 yards per game.
There have been multiple issues with the Browns’ offense, leading to the shift to Tommy Rees as play-caller in Week 10. But Gabriel, the team’s third-round pick, has not provided any kind of spark for the unit.
Against the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, it was more of the same from Gabriel early with short, conservative throws. On the team’s second drive, he missed running back Dylan Sampson on what should have been an easy toss. The incompletion immediately drew boos from the Browns fans in the stands.
The boos resurfaced several more times in the first half. After a muffed punt set the Browns up inside the Ravens’ 10-yard line, they couldn’t capitalize, settling for a 24-yard field goal instead of a touchdown.
Gabriel later dirted a routine throw late in the half on third down, drawing another wave of frustration from the home crowd. Chants of “we want Sanders” could also be heard. Gabriel finished the first half with 68 yards on 7-of-10 passing.
UPDATE: Gabriel is in concussion protocol. Shedeur Sanders took over to begin the second half.
Browns Not Discussing Shedeur Sanders
The criticism of Gabriel is warranted but also amplified because of who is sitting behind him on the depth chart. Calls have grown in recent weeks for the Browns to replace Gabriel with Sanders.
However, the Browns have shown very little interest in going down that road — at least right now.
“I don’t think it’s fair to speculate,” Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said this week. “We’re committed to getting better as an offense. Dillon is certainly committed to improving every which way he can. And all the while, all of our players, young players, are developing and working so hard behind the scenes to make sure that they’re getting better on a daily basis.”
Stefanski did offer some rare praise and insight on Sanders in the latter half of the week.
He’s doing a really nice job, including just now coming off the field with the red zone drill that we did,” Stefanski said. “So, continues to work very hard, doing a nice job in meetings, doing a good job.”
Shedeur Sanders Likely to Get Shot With Browns
The Browns aren’t ready to turn the reins over to Sanders yet. But if Gabriel continues to struggle, the team will get a shot, per Browns insider Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com.
“Depending on how Gabriel comes along, Sanders is still likely to start some games this season, based in part on the fact that the Browns have the two first-round picks in the 2026 draft in a strong quarterback class, and need to know what they already have,” Cabot said.
After Sunday, the Browns have seven games left. Browns owner Jimmy Haslam said during training camp that there’s urgency for Cleveland to see if either Gabriel or Sanders can be their long-term solution at quarterback.
“Absolutely. Absolutely,” Haslam said. “But, I mean, Kevin is aware of that. He knows how important quarterback is, and he and (Browns GM) Andrew talk about those kinds of things all the time. It’s a daily ongoing conversation.”
Sanders hasn’t spoken publicly in recent weeks, but he made it clear after the Joe Flacco trade that he’d be ready when his number is called. That moment may be approaching quickly for Cleveland.
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