Will Dillon Gabriel Stay QB1 Over Shedeur Sanders? Browns HC Discusses After Jets Loss

Dillon Gabriel was fairly lackluster against the New York Jets on Sunday, finishing 17-of-32 for 167 yards, two touchdowns and six sacks taken in a 27-20 loss, though he didn't turn the ball over.

Don't expect the Browns to promote Shedeur Sanders to the starting quarterback role anytime soon, however.

"We're going to stick with Dillon," head coach Kevin Stefanski told reporters after the loss when asked about the position.

"Obviously this is a young player that you're always trying to get one game better... we have to play better as an offense," he added. "We have to coach better, all the above."

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Since Gabriel took over as the starter, the Browns have gone just 1-4, and three of those losses are against teams that currently have losing records. He's thrown for 850 yards, six touchdowns and two interceptions in his five starts, though he's also taken 17 sacks and only completed 58.2 percent of his passes in those contests.

It hasn't been bad, but it's hardly been great. Some of Gabriel's misses are pretty rough, and he doesn't pass the proverbial eye test to this point.

His teammates continue to have his back:

Gabriel is only a rookie, and the Browns aren't exactly brimming with explosive weapons in the passing game. But you could hardly blame Cleveland fans for wanting to see Sanders get his shot at some point if Gabriel continues on this path.

It might also behoove the Browns—as this season continues to slip away—to evaluate whether Sanders might have a shot to be a franchise quarterback. The team will have a pair of first-round picks at the 2026 NFL draft, giving them ammunition to grab another quarterback. But doing so wouldn't be necessary if either Gabriel or Sanders really flashed major upside.

To this point, it's hard to argue that Gabriel has done so. It remains to be seen if Sanders will get the chance to state his case.