Cleveland Browns quarterback Dillon Gabriel did not get a warm reception at his home stadium after replacing Shedeur Sanders on Sunday.
Sanders exited late in the second quarter with a bloodied pinky finger. He immediately ran to the sideline, where he was met by trainers and went to the locker room.
The crowd immediately booed Gabriel after he entered the game for Sanders. In the building, it wasn’t clear that Sanders was on the sideline due to the injury. In his only play, Gabriel was sacked for a 2-yard loss and the Browns settled for a field goal. The result only encouraged more boos from the Cleveland crowd. Luckily, Sanders didn’t miss a series, re-entering the game with a wrap on his pinky.
Sanders previously asked the home crowd not to boo Gabriel if he was in and trying to operate the offense.
“Well, first let me say this,” Sanders said Nov. 16 after his first action of the regular season. “When Dillon’s out there playing and all that, I appreciate the fans. I appreciate everybody, but I’m a good person overall, so I don’t really like him not feeling comfortable, confident when he gets out there.
“So it puts everything in a tough spot and it’s not helping the team. So that could be taken as, ‘OK, I’m being a distraction even though I ain’t doing nothing,’ You know? I’m not doing nothing.”
Dillon Gabriel Faces Uncertain Future With Browns
Gabriel started six games earlier in the season before Sanders took over. He suffered a concussion during the Baltimore Ravens game in Week 11 and did not get his job back once Sanders got the starting nod.
Gabriel initially took over for Joe Flacco in Week 5, going 1-5 while throwing for 937 yards, seven touchdowns and two interceptions. As a rookie, Gabriel is still under contract for three more seasons. It’s uncertain where he’ll fit into the quarterback equation. Sanders will be in the mix, as will veteran Deshaun Watson, who will be back healthy and on the final year of his $230 million guaranteed contract.
“With Sanders currently having the inside track to start for the Browns next season, will Gabriel still be on the team? With the Browns’ third-round pick under contract for three more years on his rookie deal, the plan is to bring him back in 2026 and continue to develop him,” Browns insider Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com said. “Depending on how the QB room shakes out, Gabriel could be the backup QB or the No. 3. But the Browns still like him and believe he’s worth the investment of more time.”
Shedeur Sanders Focusing on Present With Browns
Sanders entered Sunday coming off a tough three-interception performance. Although the Browns have committed to him for the rest of the season, Sanders knows that things can change on a dime. But the fifth-round pick isn’t operating from a place of fear.
“You know what league we in? You could lose your job at any point in time,” Sanders said. “So you don’t play with fear. When you live and play in fear, then you’ll never be yourself. So I don’t play or live in fear. Whatever situation I’m in, I’m in. Whatever happens, it happens, you know? But I live each moment and I try to live each day to the fullest. So never live in worry or fear.”
Sanders has three games left to make his case to the Browns that he’s a long-term solution at quarterback and that the team can avoid using a first-round pick on the position.
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