Who Should I Start? Dillon Gabriel or Shedeur Sanders

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).

Friday, January 30, 11:24 AM

New Cleveland Browns head coach Todd Monken told quarterback Shedeur Sanders that he tried to draft him last year as a member of the Baltimore Ravens' coaching staff, according to Chris Easterling of the Akron Beacon Journal. Baltimore was interested in taking Sanders out of the University of Colorado in last year's draft, but Sanders said he wasn't interested in sitting behind two-time MVP Lamar Jackson. The Ravens ended up passing on Sanders, and he fell all the way to the fifth round when the Browns took him at No. 144 overall. The 23-year-old appeared in eight games (seven starts) in his rookie season in 2025, completing 56.6% of his pass attempts for 1,400 yards, seven touchdowns, and 10 interceptions. He added 21 carries for 169 yards and a TD on the ground. Sanders mostly struggled, but he also showed playmaking upside. The Browns are expected to bring in at least one QB this offseason, so Sanders won't be a lock to win the starting gig under center going into Week 1.