Shedeur Sanders finished his rookie season as the Cleveland Browns starting quarterback on Sunday, leading the team to a 20-18 walk-off victory over Cincinnati. Dillon Gabriel, the man Cleveland selected 50 picks ahead of Sanders in April’s draft, watched from the bench.
Sanders struggled in the win, completing just 11 of 22 passes for 111 yards with no touchdowns and a lost fumble. He took six sacks. Cleveland’s defence scored both touchdowns on the day. Gabriel has not taken a meaningful snap since Week 11. His name rarely comes up in talks about next season. When the Browns posted a season recap video last week featuring “core memories” from 2025, Sanders appeared alongside Myles Garrett in the opening frames. Gabriel was nowhere in the footage.
Supporters on social media noticed.
The video confirmed what the depth chart already suggested: Gabriel is no longer part of Cleveland’s plans.
Table of Contents
How Both Quarterbacks Arrived in Cleveland
Cleveland drafted Gabriel 94th overall out of Oregon. Big Ten champion. Third in Heisman voting. He had started 63 college games across six seasons and tied the FBS record for career passing touchdowns at 155.
Sanders came at pick 144 after Cleveland traded up with Seattle. Most analysts had projected him as a first or second round selection throughout the winter. He went unpicked through 143 selections before the Browns moved up to grab him.
GM Andrew Berry addressed reporters after the selection.
“We didn’t necessarily expect him to be available in the fifth. It got to a point where he was probably mispriced relative to the draft.”
Gabriel earned the backup job behind Joe Flacco during training camp. Sanders sat fourth on the depth chart through September, watching from the sideline while Flacco struggled.
Gabriel’s Six Starts Produced One Win
Gabriel took over in Week 5. Across six starts, Cleveland went 1 and 5 and averaged 16 points per game.
His counting stats looked acceptable. Completion rate of 59.5 percent. Seven touchdowns. Only two interceptions. Passer rating of 80.8. But Gabriel rarely threw downfield. He completed just two passes travelling 20 or more air yards during his entire six game run. Sanders had seven across his first four starts.
Opposing defences sat on short routes. Cleveland’s offence stalled in the red zone. Gabriel protected the football but couldn’t sustain drives.
Week 11 against Baltimore was his last game as starter. He took a hit in the first half and entered concussion protocol. Sanders replaced him and completed four of 16 passes for 47 yards, a poor debut. Gabriel was expected back once healthy.
Stefanski chose Sanders.
Sanders Won the Job in Las Vegas
Week 12 against the Raiders gave Sanders his first career start. He threw for 209 yards in a 24 to 10 victory and connected with Isaiah Bond on a 52 yard completion. Cleveland had not seen a throw that long from any quarterback in two years.
Stefanski announced that week Sanders would start the remaining games of 2025. Gabriel, cleared from concussion protocol, would not get his job back.
Sanders finished his rookie season with 1,400 passing yards, seven touchdowns, and 10 interceptions across eight appearances. He went 3-4 as the starter. His Total QBR of 25.2 ranked 28th among qualifiers.
He holds the ball longer than almost any starting quarterback, averaging 3.22 seconds before throwing. Defences have pressured him on 44.1 percent of dropbacks.
But Sanders has also had standout performances. Against Tennessee in Week 14, he threw for 364 yards and three touchdowns while adding a rushing score. Against Pittsburgh last Sunday, he completed 10 of 13 passes for 156 yards through the first 20 minutes before struggling after halftime.
Speaking to reporters before the finale, Sanders acknowledged he needs to improve his decision making.
“I got to be able to take the proper, necessary risk. Whenever you go through your progressions and the checkdown isn’t there, then what? That’s where the strides have been made.”
Stefanski backed his quarterback after the Pittsburgh game.
“There are always things he can clean up. But he continued to battle.”
Gabriel’s Camp Made Things Worse
Gabriel stayed quiet after losing his starting job, but his fiancée did not.
During a preseason interview in August, Gabriel made a comment that spread across social media.
“There’s entertainers and there’s competitors. And I totally understand that. My job is to compete.”
Social media took it as a dig at Sanders, whose media profile is far larger than Gabriel’s. Gabriel told reporters afterward he meant journalists, not his teammate. Sanders said they spoke privately and moved on.
In December, after Cleveland lost to San Francisco with Sanders starting, Gabriel’s fiancée Zo Caswell posted a TikTok captioned “Browns lost what’s new” with a laughing emoji.
When supporters criticised the post, Caswell replied: “Actually everyone in the building wants him to play. But you wouldn’t know that bc you’ve never played in the nfl or been a coach right.”
She later deleted the comment. By then it had been screenshotted and shared widely. Caswell had publicly claimed the locker room preferred Gabriel. The claim put Gabriel in a difficult spot and hurt his standing with supporters.
Sanders responded before Sunday’s game.
“I can’t think about other people opinion or what they view me as. I know the teams that we go against definitely respect me. But I can’t be accountable for somebody else’s decision.”
Watson Returns, Gabriel’s Future Uncertain
Gabriel dressed as backup for Sunday’s finale, replacing Bailey Zappe on the active roster. He did not play.
Cleveland holds two first round selections in April’s draft and could pursue a quarterback if one falls to their position. Deshaun Watson also returns.
ESPN reported this month Cleveland plans to keep Watson on the roster in 2026 despite his $80.7 million salary cap charge. Watson has not played since rupturing his Achilles in October 2024 and underwent a second surgery in January 2025. The Browns did not activate him this season.
If Watson returns as a bridge starter and Cleveland adds another quarterback through the draft, Gabriel drops to third or fourth on the depth chart. A trade looks likely.
Tony Grossi, longtime Browns analyst for ESPN Cleveland, said before the finale:
“To be honest, I don’t think he’s earned your number one next year. I think there’s a competition.”
He was referring to Sanders, who also faces questions.
Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com agreed: “It will be impossible to know for sure if Sanders can be their QB of the future on a seven game sample size.”
Cleveland finished the season 5-12 and will pick seventh overall in April’s draft. Gabriel could be playing elsewhere by then.
The Browns drafted both men eight months ago expecting competition, and Sanders won it. Sanders threw deep and showed arm talent Gabriel lacked. Gabriel played cautiously and won a single game in six tries.
Sunday’s win over Cincinnati was Sanders’ third as a starter. His performance left questions unanswered, but he finished the season ahead of Gabriel on the depth chart. Whether that holds into 2026 remains unclear.
Updated: 05-01-2026.
