Browns Owner Jimmy Haslam Weighs in on QBs Dillon Gabriel & Shedeur Sanders
Over the past couple of months, the Cleveland Browns‘ quarterback situation has been one of the most intriguing storylines to keep tabs on across the league. After initially entering training camp with Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett,
There’s been a lot of debate surrounding Gabriel and Sanders, as many folks think that Sanders, who was billed as a first-round prospect in the 2025
Jimmy Haslam Speaks on Dillon Gabriel, Shedeur Sanders Debate
Amid Sanders’ slide down the board in the 2025 draft, the team ended up selecting Gabriel with a third-round pick. As was the case for just about every quarterback selected before him, other than Cam Ward, Sanders was largely believed to be a superior prospect to Gabriel, which made the team’s decision to select him all the more intriguing.
Things became even more complicated when Cleveland doubled up at quarterback and picked Sanders in the fifth round. How would the team handle the media attention that would surely follow Sanders after his historic drop in the draft? And who would start between the two if that ended up becoming a decision the coaching staff was forced to make?
Gabriel ended up becoming the answer to the latter question, and he’s been solid if unspectacular through his first three starts, throwing for 527 yards and three touchdowns during that stretch. The calls for the team to turn to Sanders as its starter haven’t exactly disappeared, though, leading Haslem to
“Dillon has played three games, and that’s not a great sample (size),” Haslam said, per Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo of NFL Network. “And one of them was in a monsoon. You could say he played two games. Shedeur’s making progress in practice, so we’re going continue to work with both of those guys.”
Should the Browns Bench Dillon Gabriel for Shedeur Sanders?
GettyBrowns’ owner Jimmy Haslam addressed the debate on whether Shedeur Sanders should start over Dillon Gabriel
Regardless of the outside world’s viewpoint of Sanders, the Browns felt that Gabriel was the better quarterback of the two, or else they would have taken the former Colorado Buffaloes star before the fifth round. With that in mind, it isn’t all that surprising that Gabriel has gotten the first stab at making the starting quarterback position his own, even if folks want to see what Sanders can do under center.
With Gabriel leading Cleveland to a win in Week 7, he’s likely bought himself some time to figure things out. However, if he continues to turn in relatively lackluster outings, the calls for Sanders to replace him are only going to grow louder. For now, Gabriel is still the guy, but it wouldn’t be a shock to see Sanders make his NFL debut at some point later this season.
Lions Get Bad News on Next Opponent’s Star Player
The Detroit Lions are locked in a tight race for supremacy in the NFC North, and could be facing a big challenge in their coming game against a division rival.
The Lions are in their bye week this weekend, a time they will use to rest and hopefully recover from some of the injuries that have been mounting, especially on the defensive side of the ball. But this week will also give the rival Minnesota Vikings the chance to get their starting quarterback ready for the matchup against the Lions next week.
Lions Expected to Face J.J. McCarthy in Next Week’s Game
As The Athletic’s Alec Lewis reported, McCarthy is in position to return to his starting position next week against the Lions. McCarthy has missed the last five games with a high ankle sprain, but Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell told reporters on Friday that the second-year quarterback is making good progress toward his return.
“He got some work today and he will hopefully get some work throughout the early part of the week, which will lead him into a full week of preparation,” O’Connell said.
O’Connell added that McCarthy would spend the bye week getting back into rhythm and rebuilding a rapport with his wide receivers.
“For J.J., it’s going to be about the commitment that he’s made throughout his rehab of getting back to those concrete fundamentals and techniques that allow his feet and eyes to work together and find completions to any one of our five eligibles, whether it’s a receiver or T.J. (Hockenson) or even Aaron Jones or Jordan (Mason) or Zay (Zavier Scott) out of the backfield,” O’Connell said.
The Vikings struggled with veteran Carson Wentz under center. The ailing veteran completed 15-of-27 passes for 144 yards with one touchdown and one interception in a 37-10 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, playing through some obvious pain.
The Vikings put a lot of faith in McCarthy, allowing veteran Sam Darnold to leave in free agency after he led the team to a 14-3 record last year following a season-ending injury for McCarthy. The second-year quarterback showed some promise in his start to 2025, but the high-ankle injury has raised new concerns about whether he might be too injury-prone.
Lions Could Get Some Help on the Injury Front
While the Lions will have to face McCarthy next week, they will also have some help on the way as their own players recover from injuries. Jimmy Liao of USA Today’s Lions Wire reported that Detroit will have several players returning over the coming weeks, including safeties Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph next week, with cornerback Terrion Arnold and running back Sione Vaki returning the next week.
They will have more returns in the weeks that follow, including cornerback DJ Reed, defensive lineman Marcus Davenport, and linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez.
While the returns will help bolster a Lions defense that has now faced two years of mounting injuries, the team could also look to bring in outside help. Some insiders predict the Lions will seek defensive help at the trade deadline, boosting depth in their secondary or defensive line.
