Ahead of the Cleveland Browns’ Week 8 matchup against the New England Patriots, fans continue to question whether Dillon Gabriel is the best option to be the starting quarterback of the team. This includes Browns legend Joe Haden, who raised the argument as to why Shedeur Sanders may give the team a better chance at turning their season around.
Gabriel performed adequately in Week 7, playing mistake-free football in a 31-6 victory over the Miami Dolphins. However, his individual numbers were far from inspiring, throwing for just 116 passing yards.
In Gabriel’s first three starts, the Browns’ passing attack has largely been stagnant, averaging just 175.6 passing yards per game. which has some questioning whether Sanders could perhaps bring more life as a downfield passer.
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During an appearance on 92.3 The Fan, a radio station in Cleveland, Haden shared his take on the Browns quarterback room, sharing how he believes Sanders has the capability to “bring something special” to Cleveland, which he hasn’t seen from Gabriel yet.
“I want to give Dillon the perfect opportunity,” said Haden. “Not trying to knock him at all. Because he hasn’t lost the starting job at all. But in my heart of hearts, I love Shedeur. I think that he’s going to be able to bring something special. I’m giving Dillon all of his chances, everything that he has to be able to give out there. Because it’s not that bad.
He hasn’t done anything to not be given that opportunity. He was drafted before Shedeur. The Browns obviously felt like he was going to be the guy. But if they start losing, I just feel like Shedeur is going to be able to make some of those downfield plays for us. Just be able to bring some of that energy that the Browns need.”
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Haden’s message is quite clear when it comes to the situation. Until Dillon Gabriel gives the Browns a reason to bench him in favor of Shedeur, he would like to see the current starter keep getting the opportunities he has rightfully earned.
However, Haden further added that if the time comes to play Shedeur over Gabriel, the Browns need to fully invest in Sanders and give him all of the first-team practice reps, just like they are doing for Gabriel currently.
“If you are believing in Dillon Gabriel right now, you can give him all the reps, that’s fine. But if the results aren’t wins, we can start splitting the reps. I can understand why the coach wants to give his first-string rookie quarterback all of the looks to be able to give him the most opportunity to succeed out there. I would expect the same when Shedeur gets in. He’s getting all the reps, not Dillon Gabriel getting some of them. I think it should be Shedeur’s opportunity to get every single reps to prepare to go out there and succeed.”
Ultimately, only time will tell whether Sanders gets a chance to start for the Browns. In the meantime, Gabriel will look to solidify his starting claim by coming away with a win over the Patriots, which would be the organization’s first victory against the Patriots since 2010.
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