After a tumultuous week, Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders showed his support for fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel.
Gabriel will draw the start in Week 5 for the Browns, who are in London to take on the Minnesota Vikings. The Browns are replacing 40-year-old veteran Joe Flacco with Gabriel, which they announced earlier this week.
Sanders — who will remain the emergency, No. 3 quarterback — drew attention for silently mouthing his answers during an interview after Gabriel was named a starter. It generated the wrong type of headlines but it wasn’t supposed to be a shot at Gabriel. Instead, it was Sanders reacting to being called out by former NFL head coach turned ESPN talking head Rex Ryan for “running his mouth.”
To reinforce his support of Gabriel, Sanders took to social media, where he has 2.5 million followers. He posted a picture of himself and Gabriel throwing, tagging his fellow Browns quarterback.
InstagramBrowns QB Shedeur Sanders gave a shoutout to Dillon Gabriel on social media.
“Dawgs,” Sanders wrote as a caption.
Browns QB Dillon Gabriel Avoids Drama With Shedeur Sanders
Gabriel is in an interesting situation in Cleveland but hasn’t let the additional spotlight brought by Sanders affect him. Browns insider Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com asked Gabriel if Sanders’ mime interview had an affect on him.
“None,” Gabriel told cleveland.com. “I don’t want to speak for anyone, but for me it’s like, ‘Hey, we’re a team, we do this together as a unit.’ We can only control what we can control. I don’t want to speak for anyone in particular.”
Gabriel spent six years in college at three different stops and has been in quarterback competitions previously. He’s relying on that experience now and leaning on relationships in the quarterback room.
“I’ve been through a bunch of competitions at every stop,” Gabriel said. “Going back to high school, even into my freshman year at UCF, going into Oklahoma, even at Oregon. I’ve had a bunch of guys I’ve played with that I’m still close to. QB rooms are important to be able to build relationships and feel really good about it, so that’s how I kind of approach and navigate everything.”
Dillon Gabriel Has Support From Browns Veterans
The Browns are searching for a spark on offense, which led them to turn to Gabriel. Cleveland is averaging just 14 points per game and has struggled to produce explosive plays. Gabriel brings a different dimension with his mobility, offering the offense a fresh look compared to Flacco.
He also has the backing of veteran leaders in the locker room, including star pass-rusher Myles Garrett, which should help ease the transition.
“I mean, he just runs the offense like this is his offense and that’s all you can ask for from any quarterback,” Garrett said. “He comes out smile on his face, chest out, gives a call, and it looks like he’s been doing it for years, the way he manages the offense. So I’m looking forward to doing the same thing on Sunday.”
The Browns are looking to stay in the race in the AFC North with a win. Cleveland is a 3.5-point underdog for the matchup against the Vikings.
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