Cleveland Browns rookie QB Dillon Gabriel will make his second career NFL start on Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers. And normally, you’d think that the biggest concern would be a rookie quarterback getting rattled by heavy pressure.
With pass rushers like T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith, and Nick Herbig on the outside, plus interior rushers like Cam Heyward and Derrick Harmon, that’s a big concern. However, Cleveland.com Browns reporter Ashley Bastock has a bigger concern when it comes to Gabriel playing the Steelers.
“The batted passes with the Steelers’ line is the number one thing I’m worried about,” Bastock said Thursday on the Chipped Ham & Football Podcast with Brian Batko. “Mainly because, in training camp, I watched Shelby Harris, who has a knack for batting down balls, both at the line and obviously, he just blocked a big field goal against the Packers a couple weeks ago, so I’ve seen Dillon get passes batted down.”
The Steelers’ defensive front has a combined eight passes defensed through four games. Heyward leads all linemen (including outside linebackers) with three. Watt is just behind him at two, and Herbig, Harmon, and Jack Sawyer each have one. This is a defensive line that will get its hands up in the air to cause problems for any quarterback. And they can turn those batted passes into more than just incompletions, too.
Cam Heyward’s pressure leads to a Nick Herbig interception!
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The Steelers’ defensive linemen can affect the game in a multitude of ways. Batting passes down is one way. They’ll get after the quarterback. And Bastock is concerned about that as well.
“I definitely think there is a potential for things to get ugly,” Bastock said. “Especially because the Browns still have left tackle issues. We don’t know what they’re going to do on that side of the line yet this week.”
The Browns have had some issues with health at both tackle spots. Starting LT Dawand Jones suffered a season-ending knee injury in the Browns’ Week 3 win over the Green Bay Packers. Starting RT Jack Conklin missed time earlier this season as well.
In response to the injuries, the Browns traded for OT Cam Robinson, and he could start against the Steelers. But it would be his first start with the Browns, and the Steelers should have their full complement of edge rushes on Sunday. Between the Steelers’ ability to knock passes down at the line of scrimmage and get after the quarterback, Dillon Gabriel and the Browns’ offense could have a very long day on Sunday.
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