Cleveland Browns quarterback Dillon Gabriel earned the first win of his NFL career in Week 7, though he received as much or more criticism following the game than he did after either of his first two starts, both of which were losses.
“What they have going on right now, it is not working,” Mary Kay Cabot said on the Orange and Brown Talk podcast on Wednesday, October 22. “It’s unsustainable and must change.”
Gabriel went 13-of-18 for 116 yards in the Browns’ 25-point bludgeoning of the Miami Dolphins last Sunday. The third-round rookie out of Oregon has yet to throw an interception, while tallying 546 passing yards and three TDs in five appearances.
But Cleveland’s offense lacks dynamism of any sort outside of the run game, where fellow rookie Quinshon Judkins has made considerable noise with five touchdowns and nearly 500 yards in six outings.
Primary criticisms of Gabriel are that he’s too focused on game management and isn’t doing what’s necessary to make explosive plays. Reporters asked Gabriel about that issue during a media session Wednesday.
“Like I’ve said before, you want explosives in the pass game — not only vertical throws, but also maybe a five-yard throw that can go for 20,” Gabriel said. “So any explosives really help.”
Popular social media aggregator Dov Kleiman took exception with Gabriel’s answer, accusing him of taking a shot at his playmakers and blaming them for the team’s lack of explosiveness.
“Wild: Browns rookie QB Dillon Gabriel hopes that his receivers can help him get some ‘explosive’ plays, and would like to see a ‘5-yard throw go for 20,’” Kleiman posted to X. “Shedeur Sanders needs to start this week.”
Shedeur Sanders Not Getting Any Work With Browns’ First-Team Offense in Practice
GettyCleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders.
While not everyone would agree with Kleiman that Gabriel was throwing his pass-catchers under the bus with his comments Wednesday, there is a groundswell of support for the notion that Sanders should get his shot sooner than later.
Head coach Kevin Stefanski set a fire across the Cleveland media landscape with an admission he made during Wednesday’s press conference about how he’s been preparing Sanders for what will likely be a chance to start at least a game or two at some point later in the season. A reporter specifically asked Stefanski if Sanders is getting any reps with the first-team in practice, as Gabriel was back when Joe Flacco was the starter earlier in the campaign.
“No,” Stefanski responded. “I mean, with a young quarterback, with Dillon starting, you want to make sure he gets a lot of reps. Different when you have a veteran like Joe. But [Sanders is] still getting reps in a bunch of periods.”
Browns Near Bottom of NFL in All Major Offensive Categories
GettyHead coach Kevin Stefanski of the Cleveland Browns.
Cleveland is 30th in total offense with 270.7 yards per game and 30th in passing with 178.3 yards per outing.
As a result, the Browns are also 30th in the league with just 16.1 points scored per contest.
Cleveland is 2-5 and will travel to square off against the New England Patriots (5-2) on Sunday before heading into a bye week ahead of the league’s November 4 trade deadline.
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