Who Should I Start? Dillon Gabriel or Bo Nix

Sunday, December 28, 11:49 AM

Cleveland Browns rookie quarterback Dillon Gabriel (shoulder) injured his left shoulder at some point during the week and has been ruled out for the Week 17 divisional clash against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday. With Gabriel inactive, Bailey Zappe has been elevated to the 53-man active roster from the practice squad and will serve as rookie Shedeur Sanders' backup this weekend. The 25-year-old Gabriel ended up making six starts for Cleveland in his first year in the NFL in 2025, but he was largely mediocre while failing to push the ball downfield. Gabriel's reign as the team's starting QB ended in Week 11 when he suffered a concussion, opening the door for Sanders to take over. In his six starts, the Oregon product completed 58.9% of his passes for 918 yards, six touchdowns, and two interceptions while adding 86 rushing yards. Gabriel is expected to compete for the starting gig next year with Sanders and Deshaun Watson (Achilles).

Saturday, January 17, 9:23 PM

Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix (ankle) suffered a broken bone in his ankle during Saturday's Divisional Round win over the Buffalo Bills, according to head coach Sean Payton. Nix has been ruled out for the remainder of the playoffs. This is shocking news out of Denver, as Nix's injury wasn't immediately evident during the Broncos' overtime win. Payton said that the second-year quarterback suffered the injury on the second-to-last play of the game, finishing the contest with a 56.5% completion rate, 279 passing yards, 29 rushing yards, three touchdowns, and one interception. This is a crushing loss for the Broncos, who can credit Nix as one of the main reasons why they finished with the best record in the AFC and advanced to the conference title game. His absence will force the Broncos to start Jarrett Stidham next Sunday against either the Patriots or Texans. Stidham's last NFL pass attempt came in 2023, when he threw for 272 yards, one touchdown, and one interception in a loss to the Raiders. The short-term implications of Nix's broken bone are massive. From a long-term perspective, though, he should make a full recovery in time for Week 1 of the 2026 NFL season.