Cleveland Browns quarterback Dillon Gabriel is sidelined with a concussion.
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Cleveland Browns quarterback Dillon Gabriel is sidelined with a concussion.
Dillon Gabriel is sidelined with a concussion, and the setback could mark the end of his run as the Cleveland Browns’ starting quarterback.
Gabriel suffered a concussion on Sunday against the Baltimore Ravens. He exited at half and Shedeur Sanders took over. Sanders didn’t light the box score on fire with his performance — 4-of-16 for 47 yards and an interception. However, Sanders will draw the start on Sunday against the Las Vegas Raiders with Gabriel sidelined in concussion protocol.
If Sanders performs well, the Browns will have to make a decision on who will start the rest of the way with six games remaining. Zac Jackson of The Athletic thinks the sample size is large enough to know that Gabriel isn’t the future at the position.
“Coach Kevin Stefanski is never going to say it, understandably, but if Sanders plays well, he’ll be deserving of more chances,” Jackson said. “There’s no timeline for Dillon Gabriel’s eventual clearance from concussion protocol, but after five starts, the Browns should know that his future is as a backup.”
Gabriel had his shot to establish himself as the starter in Cleveland. In five-and-a-half games, Gabriel passed for 937 yards, seven touchdowns and two interceptions. More concerning was his 5.1 yards per attempt average. Gabriel showed no willingness to look downfield and provide the explosive plays the Browns have been missing this season.
Browns QB Shedeur Sanders Wants to be ‘The Guy’
Sanders’ first taste of NFL action was not encouraging. He looked unprepared, took sacks, and was slow to make decisions. He’s taken accountability for his poor play in the matchup but feels like with a full week of prep, he can make a statement.
“I know our fans have a lot of expectations and hope, and I would be doing a disservice to myself and disservice to the organization if I didn’t feel like I am the guy,” Sanders said. “I’m doing everything I need to prepare to be the best version of myself as possible. With the circumstances, everything got me sped up, and that’s great – you know, I like pressure in life. I’m just excited for everything. So, I feel like I’m the guy, I know I’m the guy, but you just have to be able to see. The game got to speak.”
Sanders was projected by most experts to be an early first-round pick. But he slid to the fifth round, where the Browns scooped him up with pick No. 144. He can start to put that behind him with a solid performance against the Raiders.
Browns Looking to Make Shedeur Sanders Comfortable
The Browns’ quarterback situation has been a revolving door this year. Cleveland opened the season with 40-year-old Joe Flacco before turning to Gabriel. Now Sanders adds a third, distinctly different style under center — a challenge new offensive coordinator and play-caller Tommy Rees is working to navigate.
“With any quarterback, with any player really, you want them to feel as comfortable as possible. For young players like Dillon and Shedeur, that’s pulling from a lot of different avenues. That’s pulling from things that they’ve been comfortable with within your system, things you know that they like,” Rees said. “You want to call plays, you want to put in plays that breathe confidence into them as they hear them, as they call them, plays that they know they can make work.”
Rees and head coach Kevin Stefanski have expressed confidence in Sanders but don’t want to place any expectations on him.
“Certainly don’t try to put any sort of expectation on guys, especially young players. I think we’re about our process and about what drives that process,” Rees said. “Certainly, you look at having a full week of prep, a full week of game planning, a full week of him being in the forefront of your mind as a coach. And he knows that as a player, you hope that all those things benefit and come to fruition on Sunday.”
Sanders is the Browns’ 42nd starting quarterback for Cleveland since 1999 and the 18th rookie to draw a start. Browns’ rookies have gone 0-17 in their first starts over that span.