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The Cleveland Browns have an intriguing quarterback situation. Although veteran signal-caller Joe Flacco is widely viewed as the team's No. 1 quarterback, Shedeur Sanders turned heads and opened eyes with his scintillating performance in Cleveland's 30-10 victory over the Carolina Panthers on the road in Week 1 of the 2025 NFL preseason.
On Saturday, another rookie quarterback in former Oregon Ducks star Dillon Gabriel, made his NFL preseason debut with mixed results. Gabriel played entirely in the first half and helped the Browns engineer three scoring drives on five possessions. He threw for 143 passing yards with zero touchdowns on 13-of-18 completions, but he couldn't avoid a brutal turnover, as he was picked off by Eagles defensive back Andrew Mukuba, who turned the interception into a touchdown.
In contrast, Sanders had 138 passing yards and two touchdowns with zero interceptions on 14-of-23 pass completions in the Eagles game.
For what it's worth, Gabriel doesn't seem to be paying any attention to what the narrative says about his position in the Browns' QB depth chart.
“I’m not worried about that at all,” Gabriel said after the Eagles game, per Chris Franklin of NJ.com. “I’m just focused on a day at a time. At the end of the day, some decision will be made that’s best for the team and that’ll be it.”
Added Gabriel: . “I’m just focused on being the best version of myself, contributing to our team, our quarterback room to be the best, and that takes every single day and one day at a time, so that’s way down the road.”
Gabriel will always attract attention, especially with Sanders' rise. Sanders controversially slid all the way down the fifth round of the 2025 NFL draft despite many expecting him to be a top-five pick. Gabriel, on the other hand, was even taken earlier, as he was scooped off the draft board in the third round.
The Browns will look to finish the 2025 NFL preseason undefeated when they take on the Los Angeles Rams at home in Week 3 on Aug. 23. It remains to be seen who'll start under center for Cleveland, but it is worth noting that Sanders did not see action in Week 2 with an oblique issue while Kenny Pickett is still dealing with a hamstring injury.
