HC Kevin Stefanski Addresses Dillon Gabriel's 2 Turnovers vs. Eagles
The Cleveland Browns continued their preseason dominance with a Week 2 win over the reigning Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles, 22-13. A slew of their key players didn't suit up, including some of their most prominent rookies in fifth-overall pick Mason Graham, tight end Harold Fannin Jr., and running back Dylan Sampson.
However, the Browns did get a good look at one of their most important draftees: third-round quarterback Dillon Gabriel. The former Oregon Duck was still nursing a hamstring injury and was unavailable in Cleveland's first preseason bout against the Carolina Panthers. Against the Eagles, he benefitted from the Browns' growing injury report, getting the start with fellow QBs Kenny Pickett and fifth-round pick Shedeur Sanders sidelined.
This was a huge opportunity for Gabriel to prove his mettle against a deep Philadelphia roster. He could only watch as a bystander while Sanders started against the Panthers and threw for 138 yards and two touchdowns on 14-of-23 passing. Against the Eagles, Gabriel got an opportunity to make up any ground he may have lost in Cleveland's widely discussed quarterback competition.
Dillon Gabriel turns the ball over twice in first preseason start for Cleveland Browns
Dillon Gabriel turned out a pretty encouraging performance for the Cleveland Browns, leading three scoring drives while completing 13-of-18 passes for 143 yards. He played the entire first half, taking two sacks for 11 yards while rushing twice for one yard. Unfortunately, he also totaled two turnovers, throwing one interception and fumbling away a handoff.
Head Coach Kevin Stefanski addressed his quarterback's performance, reasserting that there were ups and downs for Gabriel in his first preseason action. The interception occurred on a seemingly broken play.
Dillon Gabriel had evaded pressure and drifted towards the left sideline. Two different Browns' receivers ended up in the same area when Gabriel fired the ball towards them. Neither of Cleveland's players tried to come down with the catch, allowing it to get picked off by Philadelphia Eagles rookie safety Andrew Mukuba instead, who took it back for a touchdown.
Stefanski defended his quarterback on that one, saying, "All interceptions are not created equal." He went on to claim that two Browns shouldn't have been in the same spot on that play.
He wasn't as understanding about Gabriel's fumble, though:
"As coaches, we got to get them on the same page. We can never do that, ever."
This could have been equally attributed to Cleveland running back Pierre Strong Jr., but the handoff was objectively late and low from Gabriel. It's on the quarterback now to build off the positive things he displayed against the Eagles and erase the mistakes he made moving forward.
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