Dawgs By Nature
It is Week 9, and the Cleveland Browns are on the bye after having lost to the Patriots last week. Most of the discussion nationally (and locally for that matter) is when the Browns will pull the trigger and go with Shedeur Sanders as their starting quarterback. Everyone can see clear as day that the offense is so bad that, “Why not give Sanders a shot?” After all, Joe Flacco got the same number of starts as Dillon Gabriel now before that benching took place, and with the bye week here, what better time to prepare another rookie quarterback? Instead, they are opting to give Gabriel that extra preparation to try to get things corrected. This week, the Browns only slipped a little, dropping 0.6 spots for an average ranking of 27.3.
Here is a summary of how the Cleveland Browns are viewed across mainstream media outlets in NFL Power Rankings heading into Week 9 of the 2025 NFL season.
Dillon Gabriel looks overmatched right now, but there won’t be a change at quarterback. Does Shedeur Sanders get a chance?
Best offseason addition: DT Maliek Collins
The Browns signed Collins to a two-year, $20 million deal this offseason. The 30-year-old lineman has been a perfect fit, taking advantage of the one-on-one opportunities afforded him while star pass rusher Myles Garrett faces double-teams. Collins ranks 10th in the league in pass rush win rate at defensive tackle (12.4%), and his 3.5 sacks are second most on the Browns. He also has been a valuable mentor for young players such as No. 5 pick Mason Graham.
Poor Myles Garrett. He had a career-high five sacks on Sunday, appearing unblockable most of the game, but what looked like a possible Cleveland upset at halftime became a blowout loss. A week after putting up 31 points on the Dolphins, the Browns were back in their typical neighborhood against the Patriots, scoring only 13. Right now, the win over Miami looks like the outlier; even in that triumph, they barely cracked 200 yards of offense, and on Sunday, they similarly struggled to move the ball against New England. After the loss, Kevin Stefanski said he planned to stick with Dillon Gabriel as the starting QB, but there will probably be more Shedeur Sanders chatter during the Week 9 bye ahead of a road meeting with the Jets.
The Browns did their best to get going with Myles Garrett leading the pass rush in New England but their defense just doesn’t get the same job done on the road. When that happens, it’s lights out for the limited offense.
We’re getting closer to a real discussion about Shedeur Sanders starting. Dillon Gabriel is averaging just 170.8 yards in...
