The battle for the Cleveland Browns backup quarterback job has turned into a soap opera involving the team’s two young draft picks.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported on Monday, August 18, that the Browns will name veteran quarterback Joe Flacco as the starting quarterback for the team’s September 7 regular season opener against the Cincinnati Bengals.
In the running to be Flacco’s Week 1 backup quarterback are Kenny Pickett, who was traded to the Browns in March, and 2025 NFL Draft picks Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders.
After Gabriel, 24, completed his preseason debut on Saturday, August 16, against the Philadelphia Eagles, he was asked about the conversation surrounding the team’s quarterbacks’ room.
“There’s entertainers and there’s competitors,” Dillon said during an in-game interview with CBS Sports. “I totally understand that. My job is to compete and that’s what I’m focused on doing.”
Some suggested Gabriel’s comments were a thinly-veiled shot at Sanders, 23, the son of NFL Hall of Famer Deion Sanders whose famous last name and flashy persona have caused some critics to question if he’s more style than substance.
After Saturday’s game, Gabriel attempted to clarify his comments, saying he refers to members of the media as “entertainers.”
“You have a job to do and I respect it,” Dillon told the assembled reporters in a postgame press conference. “I’m a competitor. So I have a job to do, as well. Just understanding that’s how I’ve lived by and I’ve said that multiple times. Definitely not a new quote.”
Gabriel added, “I’m all about our team and each other … Entertainers are you all. Competitor, that’s what I am, and all my teammates. We both have jobs to do, so that’s it.”
Despite Gabriel’s attempt to clarify the quote, the damage had apparently already been done.
Stephen A. Smith addressed the controversy on ESPN’s First Take on Monday, August 18, telling viewers that he “believed” Gabriel’s comments were truly about the media while simultaneously deriding his actions.
“Dillon Gabriel, respectfully, it was stupid,” Smith, 57, said. “A very dumb comment to make. First of all, let me tell you something right now. In every walk of life, far beyond the parameters of a football field, people are competing. We compete here on television. You compete on radio shows. You compete on Wall Street. You compete on Madison Avenue. Everything, especially in America as it applies to a capitalistic society, involves competition.”
Smith added, “It was a stupid, idiotic, immature comment, because clearly you were feeling the heat because a lot of people were talking about how Shedeur should be QB number two.”
Gabriel went 13-for-18 with 143 yards and one interception in the team’s preseason victory over the Eagles on Saturday
Sanders, who is currently dealing with an oblique injury, went 14-for-23 with 138 yards and two touchdowns in the Browns’ August 8 preseason victory over the Panthers.
The Browns finish their preseason schedule against the Los Angeles Rams on Saturday, August 23.
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