Cleveland Browns quarterback Dillon Gabriel drew his third career start on Sunday against the Miami Dolphins, but Shedeur Sanders appears to be gaining ground in a hurry.
Gabriel enters Sunday’s matchup still searching for his first win as Cleveland’s starter. In two starts, he’s passed for 411 yards and two touchdowns, but the offense has struggled to find rhythm. He’s faced relentless pressure and hasn’t been helped by frequent drops from his receivers. Still, Gabriel has yet to provide the kind of spark needed to jumpstart a Browns offense that ranks last in the league at just 13.7 points per game.
Gabriel is trying to hold off Sanders, but that is going to become more challenging by the week. The former Colorado star is putting in extra work after practice, and Browns insider Mary Kay Cabot believes there will be a time when the Browns will want to see what he can do.
“Myles Garrett also revealed recently that he sees Sanders working with Kevin Stefanski in his office in the early morning hours, which means he’s putting in the extra work. It’s showing up on the practice field, and the Browns are eager to see what he can do this season when the time comes,” Cabot said. “The Browns will give Dillon Gabriel a decent on-ramp, but there will probably come a time in the second half of the season where the Browns will want to see Sanders play. They’re confident he’ll be ready.”
Browns QB Dillon Gabriel Got Beat Up vs. Steelers
Gabriel was under duress against the Steelers in a 23-9 loss last week. He was sacked six times and hit more than a dozen other times. Part of the issue was that Gabriel threw the ball a whopping 52 times as the Browns chased from behind for most of the afternoon.
“In a perfect world, you know, you always want to be balanced in a lot of ways. And I think within the situation of the game, you have to attack it a certain way. At some point you’re not fighting the scoreboard, you’re fighting time and we were kind of fighting both at the same time,” Gabriel said. “Winning football is pretty balanced and it kind of works in unison — the run and the pass to set things up, create more explosives, chunks and just be more efficient in general.”
For Gabriel, every game is a learning experience at this point, and he’s looking to show improvement every time out.
“I think you continue to learn from each start. Each time going in there, there’s a lot of details that you want to fine-tune and continue to get better at and get more comfortable with that,” Gabriel said. “The margin for error is small as well. So, I think I knew that but continue to learn that and try to evolve to be better for this team.”
Browns QB Shedeur Sanders Focused on Current Role
Sanders has been one of the most polarizing fifth-round picks in recent memory. While he’s largely handled the scrutiny since his draft tumble with composure, a few moments — including an interview where he mimed his answers — have drawn the wrong kind of attention for a backup quarterback.
Now elevated to the No. 2 role, Sanders is intent on putting the distractions behind him and channeling his energy into supporting Gabriel.
“We’re going to make sure we do everything we can to make sure Dillon is ready for the game,” Sanders said ahead of Week 6. “So each and every day, even when Joe (Flacco) was the starter, everything. Prepare the right way and be ready to know that you could get out there any point in time. So, I’m overly confident within myself. I know when I first got here, I’m ready to play, but it’s up to the coaches and whatever decision they make, then I’m fine with.”
After facing the Dolphins, the Browns will travel to Foxborough for a matchup against the New England Patriots in their final game before the bye week. If the Browns head into the bye with just one win, calls for Sanders will grow even louder.
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