Pro Football Rumors
Browns quarterback Dillon Gabriel played the first half of Sunday’s Week 11 matchup against the Ravens, but he was evaluated for a concussion at halftime and subsequently ruled out for the remainder of the contest (via ESPN’s Adam Schefter). Shedeur Sanders entered the game in relief of Gabriel and got his first taste of regular season action at the professional level.
Sanders, of course, was one of the most-discussed players in this year’s NFL news cycle. The polarizing prospect was once considered a first-round talent, but he ultimately dropped to the fifth round of the 2025 draft before the Browns finally put an end to his precipitous slide (two rounds after Cleveland selected Gabriel). Veteran Joe Flacco opened the season as the club’s starting quarterback, but following his demotion in favor of Gabriel, Sanders remained the third-string passer.
Even after the trade sending Flacco to the Bengals, head coach Kevin Stefanski did not immediately name Sanders as Gabriel’s backup. Practice squadder Bailey Zappe appeared to be in consideration for the role, which led to further questions about Sanders’ progress in practice.
Although Stefanski ultimately did tap Sanders as the Browns’ QB2 behind Gabriel, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported earlier this week that the team did not seem anxious to get the second-generation talent into a game. In the end, Gabriel’s head injury forced Stefanski’s hand.
At the end of September, Albert Breer of SI.com expressed his belief that neither Gabriel nor Sanders could do anything this season to prevent the Browns from selecting a passer in the first round of the 2026 draft. Through the first five starts of his pro career, Gabriel did not do anything to refute that notion, as he led the team to a 1-4 record and a poor quarterback rating and QBR of 80.4 and 32.3, respectively.
Breer recently reiterated his opinion that Cleveland’s 2026 starting quarterback is not presently on the roster. Interestingly, however, he said he can envision a scenario in which Deshaun Watson takes the field this season.
Watson, who is recovering from a second Achilles tear, is presently on the Browns’ reserve/PUP list. The latest reporting on the matter suggested the embattled passer is unlikely to play in 2025, but Breer’s note injects a little more intrigue into the situation.
Due to Watson’s albatross contract, the Browns would be hit with a ghastly $131.16MM dead cap charge if they were to cut him in the offseason, which lends credence to Breer’s belief that it can’t hurt to have Cleveland trot him out this season if he is healthy enough to play. On the other hand, that would obviously prevent additional evaluation of Gabriel and/or Sanders.
The Browns went into halftime of the Baltimore contest with a 16-10 lead but lost 23-16. Sanders was unable to engineer any scoring drives, and he completed just four of 16 passes for 47 yards and an interception. He added three rushes for 16 yards.
In fairness to Sanders, he had taken no practice reps with...
