Browns Put Dillon Gabriel on Notice Over Play Across First 3 Starts: Report
The Cleveland Browns still believe in rookie QB Dillon Gabriel, but after three starts the team has notes and increased expectations moving forward.
Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com laid out the situation on Saturday, October 25, one day ahead of Gabriel’s fourth career start, which will happen on the road against the New England Patriots.
“He hasn’t turned the ball over in his first three starts, which is a huge plus, but now he has to do more to get the passing game up to speed, as does everyone else on offense,” Cabot wrote. “The Browns aren’t pinning the passing woes on Gabriel, although they do recognize that he has to be willing to take some shots when they’re there.”
Shedeur Sanders Will Likely Take Dillon Gabriel’s Starting Job if the Offense Doesn’t Produce More Successfully Soon
GettyCleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders is waiting in the wings for his chance to start.
If Gabriel doesn’t get the offense rolling on a more consistent basis and as a direct result of his play, it is possible that the team will turn to fellow rookie signal-caller Shedeur Sanders sooner than later.
“The Browns definitely want to see more points from Gabriel and the offense, and don’t have him on a short leash,” Cabot continued. “But the passing game does need to improve, or they’ll undoubtedly find themselves tempted to turn to Sanders sooner than perhaps they want to.”
That transition isn’t likely to happen this week, however, as Sanders reported back tightness to the team on Saturday, which prompted the Browns to bring veteran quarterback Bailey Zappe up from the practice squad.
Even if Sanders were healthy, Gabriel still has considerable rope. The Browns head into their bye week following Sunday’s game against the Patriots, then return to the field for a road contest against the New York Jets on November 9.
It is unclear when the Browns plan to make the change to Sanders or what the catalyst for that move will be if Gabriel performs decently, or better, moving forward. However, Cabot has reported that the team absolutely intends to start Sanders at some point in the season to see what it has in the fifth-round rookie before the 2026 NFL draft next April.
Dillon Gabriel Needs to Hunt More Explosive Plays for Browns Offense, and He Knows It
GettyCleveland Browns quarterback Dillon Gabriel is under pressure to produce.
Gabriel earned the first victory of his career against the Miami Dolphins last Sunday by a score of 31-6. However, it may have been his least impressive outing as an NFL starter from a statistical standpoint.
He completed 13-of-18 passes for 116 yards in that contest. For the season, Gabriel has tallied 546 passing yards and three TDs in five games played.
The third-round rookie spoke with reporters during the week about the team’s lack of explosive plays.
“Like I’ve said before, you want explosives in the pass game — not only vertical throws, but also maybe a five-yard throw that can go for 20,” Gabriel said. “So any explosives really help.”
Kyle Dugger Absence vs. Browns Strains Patriots Secondary
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — With their Week 8 matchup against the Cleveland Browns set to kick off at Gillette Stadium, the New England
The Patriots (5-2) enter this matchup on the heels of a dominant 31-13 victory over the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium. Cleveland (1-5) also won its Week 7 contest against the Miami Dolphins by a score of 31-6 at Huntington Bank Field.
With just over an hour until the 1:00 p.m. ET kickoff, the Patriots and Browns have released their lists of inactives:
PATRIOTS INACTIVES:
S Kyle Dugger
LB Caleb Murphy
WR Efton Chism, III
DE Eric Gregory
DE Keion White
G Caedan Wallace
QB Tommy DeVito (3rd QB)
What it Means for the Patriots:
Dugger entered the weekend as questionable for Week 8 with a knee injury. The Lenoir-Rhyne product did not participate the the Pats final practice of the week and was the lone Patriot to be listed on their ultimate injury and practice participation report.
This season, Dugger has appeared in all seven games [making four starts] while compiling 17 total tackles. Due to his preseason and early-season struggles, the former Pats’ team captain has been the subject of both trade and release rumors — the former of which are expected to continue up to the NFL’s
Throughout his five-plus seasons in Foxborough, Dugger has appeared in 81 regular season games, making 69 starts. He also started his only playoff appearance in 2021. The Decatur, Georgia native has compiled 441 total tackles, nine interceptions and two fumble recoveries, while scoring three defensive touchdowns. His extensive knowledge of the Patriots playbook made him the logical choice to serve as their starter with veteran Jaylinn Hawkins being sidelined for the past two games with a hamstring injury.
Despite having just been signed by the Patriots on Oct. 15, defensive back Richie Grant’s elevation from the practice squad may indicate that he is likely to inherit some of the reps normally allotted to Dugger. The veteran safety was signed by the San Francisco 49ers as an unrestricted free agent this past offseason but was released prior to the start of the season. Throughout his four seasons in the NFL, the 6’0” 200-pound defensive back has played in 67 games with 33 starts and has accumulated 264 total tackles, three sacks, three interceptions, 17 passes-defensed and 11 special teams tackles.
The Patriots may also turn to second-year defensive back Dell Pettus, perhaps the more-likely choice to receive Dugger’s reps. Pettus has logged 10 total tackles, one forced fumble and one run-stuff in reserve duty this season.
BROWNS INACTIVES:
QB Shedeur Sanders
CB Jarrick Bernard-Converse
S Damontae Kazee
RB Raheim Sanders
G Zack Zinter
T Cornelius Lucas
DT Adin Huntington
