Browns Insider Gives Blunt Take on Future of Dillon Gabriel
The Cleveland Browns could soon make a quarterback change, according to one insider.
Browns insider Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com believes the team needs more from rookie quarterback Dillon Gabriel. Gabriel has been managing the game well, but he hasn’t been taking many risks, as he has failed to throw for a touchdown in back-to-back games.
Ahead of Cleveland’s Week 8 road game against the New England Patriots, Cabot believes Gabriel needs to show something.
“But what they have going on right now. It is not working. It’s unsustainable and must change,” Cabot said on the Orange and Brown Talk podcast.
In the Browns’ 31-6 win over the Miami Dolphins, Gabriel went 13-for-18 for 116 yards. Although the weather was bad, Cabot wanted to see more from the rookie quarterback.
Cabot believes Gabriel’s play of no turnovers and trying to play it safe isn’t sustainable and isn’t a way to win games, which is why she believes it could lead to a quarterback change in the future.
Browns Coach Pleased With Gabriel’s ‘Clean’ Play
Although Cabot wasn’t thrilled with Gabriel’s play, Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski did like his play.
Gabriel played well in the weather as he took care of the football, which Stefanski is pleased about. On Monday, he spoke to reporters and reflected on Gabriel’s game, and was pleased about it.
“Yeah, I think with all of our young players, we’re learning about them every day they’re in the building,” Stefanski said on Monday. “Obviously, these games are important for them and putting them in different situations.
“So obviously, Dillon’s only three games into his career, and it’s had some unique challenges, but to be able to play clean and take care of the football for this football team and obviously get his first win as a starting quarterback yesterday, I thought was, you know, good for him. Obviously, that’s something that you always remember.”
Gabriel will remain the Browns’ starting quarterback on Sunday against the Patriots. The rookie will continue to take care of the football and help manage Cleveland’s offense.
Insider Claims Shedeur Sanders Will Start Soon
The Browns selected Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders in the 2025 NFL Draft, and Cleveland is likely to start both of them at some point.
Gabriel has started three games and will start a fourth this week. Yet, NFL insider Tony Rizzo reported this week that Cleveland plans to start Sanders in the near future.
“I need to see Shedeur when they are going to give him a chance,” Rizzo said on ESPN Cleveland. “And, by that, I mean they have to tell him he’s starting on Monday. It’s not going to happen anytime soon, I get it. But you have the Patriots and then the bye week. I was told by two different sources yesterday at the stadium, one said Shedeur will start the last four games of the season, no matter what.
“Unless the Browns win every game through the Titans week, Shedeur will play the Bears, Bills, Steelers, and Bengals; they want to see what he’s got. Another said he could be in play earlier than that.”
The Browns are off to a 2-5 start.
The Browns have the NFL's best rookie running back and it's not close
It was common knowledge that the Browns were going to select a running back early in the 2025 draft after letting Nick Chubb leave in free agency. Cleveland didn’t wait long to address the position, selecting Quinshon Judkins early in Round 2. That move received quite a bit of criticism at the time as the Browns passed on TreVeon Henderson and Kaleb Johnson, two other more highly rated running backs.
But despite missing all of training camp and the preseason due to a legal issue that was eventually dismissed, Judkins is proving the Browns to be right in their evaluation. Despite several backups on the offensive line and one of the league’s worst quarterback situations, Judkins is producing massive numbers in Cleveland.
Judkins Is The Best RB From 2025 NFL Draft
The 2025 NFL Draft was one of the best running back classes in recent memory with Ashton Jeanty and Omarion Hampton both selected in Round 1. Jeanty was viewed as a generational running back prospect, and Hampton wasn’t that far behind. And yet, it’s Judkins who has been the best rookie running back so far.
Judkins missed Week 1 due to his off-field issue and contract dispute, but he got his first career start against the Ravens in Week 2. Since then, he’s been spectacular. Judkins had the best performance of his short career in Week 7, rushing for 84 yards and three touchdowns. The yards per carry have dipped in recent weeks, but that’s only because of the amount of short-yardage runs he’s been having to handle for the Browns.
After just six games, Judkins is averaging nearly 78 rushing yards per contest and is on pace to rush for over 1,200 yards and score 13 touchdowns. We shall see if he gets those numbers, but the fact that he’s already put up 467 rushing yards and five touchdowns in six games is highly impressive.
More importantly, he looks fantastic. He is creating plays after contact, and is turning short-yard runs into big gains. The hope is that Cleveland can eventually figure out the offensive line and find a suitable quarterback to help ease some of the burden from Judkins’ shoulders. But everything we’ve seen in the first two months of the season shows that he can be a franchise-caliber running back.
Quinshon Judkins looks effortless. Best rookie RB film. pic.twitter.com/bDXPVygzSu
— Hayden Winks (@HaydenWinks) October 20, 2025
While it’s too early to make any definitive calls about the running backs in the 2025 draft, there is no way Cleveland would trade Judkins for any of them right now, including Jeanty. And that just goes to show how impressive the former Ohio State star has been for the Browns. Cleveland has a lot that is wrong right now about their roster and their team, but Judkins isn’t one of them. He is a star in the making for the Browns and a player Cleveland can build around for the next four seasons.
