Dillon Gabriel saw his first NFL action this past week, when he was inserted in the fourth quarter of the Baltimore Ravens' blowout victory over the Cleveland Browns.
The former Oregon Duck was able to orchestrate a scoring drive, throwing his first touchdown pass to fellow rookie Dylan Sampson.
But Gabriel shouldn't expect to see regular game action anytime soon, and it could even be a month before he's considered to be inserted as the starting quarterback.
Zac Jackson Reveals Timeline for When Dillon Gabriel Could Start for Browns
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In a recent appearance on 92.3 The Fan, Browns analyst Zac Jackson revealed when he thought Gabriel could get his first NFL start.
"To me, anything before Week 7 would be the nightmare scenario." [Said](https://x.com/923TheFan/status/1967941257180897307?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1967941257180897307%7Ctwgr%5Ee489bba8856d2c9c417351258e6f0d746dc7315a%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.brownsnation.com%2Fanalyst-reveals-nightmare-qb-scenario-for-browns%2F) Jackson.
"When you look at who they're playing and what they're up against and a scenario when they go to London and come back and go to Pittsburgh, I just don't think he (Kevin Stefanski) would do that to a rookie, and if Joe (Flacco) has to be the punching bag then thats kind of what Joe signed up for."
To Jackson's point, inserting Gabriel as the starter against two vaunted defenses, the Minnesota Vikings and Pittsburgh Steelers, would be a recipe for disaster.
When it comes to young quarterbacks, nurturing confidence is the best way to keep them on the right track developmentally.
That's why the Browns' October 19 matchup against the Miami Dolphins has been circled as the potential first start for the former Oregon standout, as Miami doesn't appear as a daunting task as opposed to the aforementioned 2024 playoff teams.
Regardless, Gabriel still has time to watch and learn from the veteran Joe Flacco until his number is called and he gets a chance to prove himself as Cleveland's long-term answer at quarterback.