The Cleveland Browns suffered a tough loss to the Vikings in Dillon Gabriel’s first NFL start. Now, HC Kevin Stefanski may have intensified the competition between Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders.
Dillon Gabriel made his debut as the Browns’ starting quarterback in Week 5. Unfortunately, while his performance was solid, the team ultimately fell to the Vikings, and Kevin Stefanski addressed the rookie from Oregon’s performance.
“We’ll keep grinding,” Stefanski said after the game. “It’s premature to grade those types of things. There were some good moments, and some rookie things to certainly clean up.“
Can Shedeur Sanders start for the Browns in Week 6?
Despite the loss to the Vikings, the Browns are not expected to bench Dillon Gabriel in Week 6. Cleveland returns to US soil to face the Steelers, and making a QB change so soon would likely be counterproductive.
Gabriel’s numbers against the Vikings were impressive for a debut: he completed 19 of 33 passes for 190 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions.
At the same time, it appears Stefanski is not yet sold on Sanders. The head coach kept Shedeur as QB3 even after benching Joe Flacco, which may signal a lack of confidence in the former Buffaloes player.