On Sunday, the Cleveland Browns suffered yet another loss in their season, dropping to an overall record of 1-6. Their starting quarterback, Dillon Gabriel, has been decent, but he isn’t exactly inspiring confidence that he’s the quarterback needed to turn things around.
In their 23-9 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, Gabriel threw 29-of-52 completed passes for 221 yards with zero touchdowns. The Steelers defense also sacked him six times, for a loss of 38 yards.
For the season, Gabriel participated heavily in the team’s last two games, both losses to the Minnesota Vikings in London and the Steelers on Sunday in Pittsburgh. Before that, he had limited time on the field, with veteran Joe Flacco getting the bulk of the snaps.
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Flacco also helped guide the team to their only win of the season, a 13-10 victory against the NFC’s Green Bay Packers.
However, with Flacco dealt to the Cincinnati Bengals, it moved the Browns’ NFL Draft pick, rookie Shedeur Sanders, to the No. 2 spot amongst quarterbacks. With the Browns’ disappointing start to the season, some feel that Sanders may need to take over the starting role.
That said, two-time Super Bowl winner and ESPN analyst Damien Woody shared his thoughts on what will happen with Sanders in Cleveland.
“I think we will Shedeur at some point this season,” Woody said in a video from today’s ESPN2 NFL program, adding, “This is Dillon Gabriel’s second start this year? I would give him to at least early November- probably after their bye week.”
Sanders’ spot on the Browns’ depth chart jumped to No. 2 QB after the Flacco trade as veteran Deshaun Watson continues his recovery from injury. Based on Woody’s prediction, that gives Gabriel two more games to prove himself. Cleveland hosts the Miami Dolphins next and then visits the New England Patriots before getting a bye week.
“[Gabriel] needs a little runway. He needs a little grace. He’s a rookie quarterback,” Woody said on ESPN2, later adding, “With those multiple first-round picks the Browns have, this is all about evaluating the quarterback position going into the 2026 Draft.”
While Sanders was amongst college stars under his dad, coach Deion Sanders at Colorado, his draft stock fell, with the Browns ultimately selecting him at No. 144 overall in the fifth round of the NFL Draft.
Woody also shared that if Gabriel continues to play steadily like he has in the games he’s started, he would expect the team to allow him to continue. However, anything could change, and they’ll have Sanders waiting to step into that role.
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