The Cleveland Browns have played two games with Dillon Gabriel as their starting quarterback.
So far, it’s been a mixed bag.
In his first start, he was efficient, didn’t turn over the ball, and did just enough to keep the chains moving in a narrow loss to the Minnesota Vikings.
That wasn’t the case in his second start, and the lack of accuracy and a deep passing game was concerning in a larger loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Former Browns quarterback Cody Kessler recently shared his honest thoughts on Gabriel.
“The Browns have no vertical passing threat right now. They have to find an element of explosiveness through the air right now. Gabriel threw the ball 52 times for only 220 yards. That’s not good enough. He’s missing open touchdowns. He’s missing open guys down the field. He made some good throws in college. I’m not a huge fan of his arm strength. Right now, in the NFL, it’s not translating. You have to be able to get that corrected. I just don’t know he has a high enough ceiling right now to be a franchise starting quarterback in the NFL that you can build off,” Kessler said.
“The Browns have no vertical passing threat right now … Gabriel threw the ball 52 times for only 220 yards. That’s not good enough!”@CodyKessler6 says Dillon Gabriel is in trouble of losing his starting roll. pic.twitter.com/D9uJtLncR4
— The Arena: Gridiron (@ArenaGridiron) October 14, 2025
Some of that isn’t Gabriel’s fault.
Head coach Kevin Stefanski has been conservative in calling plays, and Gabriel was under a lot of pass-rush pressure against the Steelers.
Then again, he also threw several dangerous passes, missed Jerry Jeudy for two possible touchdowns, and wasn’t accurate overall.
There will always be growing pains with a rookie quarterback.
He’s not going to be perfect, and there will be some ugly games.
Yet, the fact that some of the concerns and negative things that scouts saw in him before the 2025 NFL Draft are showing should be concerning.
There’s no doubt that he can make solid decisions and operate the offense, but he may not have as much potential or upside as the Browns had hoped.
Gabriel will make his first start at home in Week 7 against the Miami Dolphins, who are also one of the worst teams in the league.
That game could be crucial to evaluate whether Gabriel can be the long-term QB for the Browns or not.
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