The Cleveland Browns will continue to have Dillon Gabriel as their starting quarterback in Week 10 against the New York Jets.
This will be his fifth start after taking over Joe Flacco, and so far, the returns haven’t been encouraging.
According to Tony Grossi, that’s not likely to change any time soon, and the insider noted a glaring concern about Gabriel’s future.
“I know they’ve had dropped pass problems early on. I know they had offensive line problems early on, and I know that the former play-caller has gotten criticism, but I really lay this at the hands of the quarterback. He’s got to see the field better. Maybe that’s motivation behind Kevin [Stefanski]’s move to give [Tommy] Rees the play calls. Maybe Rees can get him out of the pocket better, make him more comfortable so he could see the field better. It’s obvious that Dillon Gabriel can’t operate a NFL offense from the pocket. He just can’t see the field. There were no offensive line problems in New England. He had plenty of time to throw. He’s not under duress, and he threw nine passes to wide receivers. You can’t win that way. You can’t even compete that way, as evidenced by that scoreboard,” Grossi said.
"It's obvious that Dillon Gabriel can't operate a NFL offense from the pocket," – @TonyGrossi on Dillon Gabriel 😯
Thoughts? pic.twitter.com/M46qieP0v7
— ESPN Cleveland (@ESPNCleveland) November 6, 2025
Gabriel’s physical traits were a concern entering the 2025 NFL Draft, and so far, the third-round pick has done little to silence those doubts.
Unfortunately, those aren’t things that can be coached or improved.
Even if Rees does a better job of putting him in a position to succeed as the new play-caller, he’s not going to get taller overnight.
Gabriel’s physical limitations are just too glaring to ignore.
Even though fellow rookie Shedeur Sanders isn’t an elite prospect by any means, it’s hard to believe the fifth-round pick would do any worse.
The Browns’ quarterback of the future likely isn’t on the team yet, but there’s at least a small chance that Sanders can be that guy.
Gabriel’s chances to become that, on the other hand, look very close to zero, even if it’s not his fault.
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