The Cleveland Browns’ locker room may be reaching a breaking point – and rookie quarterback Dillon Gabriel is suddenly at the center of the frustration.
The tension came to light after reporter and former XFL quarterback Cory Skuza revealed a private text from a Browns player who said he was “done with Dillon Gabriel,” a blunt message that underscores an unraveling situation inside the building.
What began as a fresh start at quarterback has quickly dissolved into uncertainty. Since the Browns traded veteran Joe Flacco to the Cincinnati Bengals on Oct. 7, head coach Kevin Stefanski handed the offense to Gabriel, the third-round rookie drafted in 2026 to usher in a new era. But the return has been shaky.
Gabriel has completed just 58.6% of his passes for 869 yards with seven touchdowns and two interceptions – an average of only 124.1 yards per game. For a team still struggling to find offensive rhythm, those numbers haven’t inspired confidence.
Shedeur is still waiting for his opportunity
And complicating the picture further is the presence of fifth-round rookie Shedeur Sanders, the highly touted son of Hall of Famer Deion Sanders, who has yet to take a single regular-season snap.
As the Browns continue to sputter and the pressure mounts, every decision by Stefanski is drawing scrutiny. The team’s 27-20 loss to the Jets last Sunday appears to have been the tipping point.
In a crucial fourth-and-one late in the game, new offensive coordinator Tommy Rees dialed up a pass rather than leaning on the run. Gabriel was sacked for a seven-yard loss, killing a potential game-saving drive and amplifying the internal frustration.
Stefanski is not ready to bench Gabriel
Still, Stefanski publicly shielded his rookie quarterback following the loss, taking the blame onto himself and emphasizing that missed plays are part of the game.
“I felt like we put our guys in position to have success,” Stefanski said. “There’s going to be a handful of calls that the defense wins – that happens throughout a game.”
But behind the scenes, according to Skuza’s text leak, the locker room sentiment may be very different. As losses pile up and Gabriel continues to struggle, the Browns’ quarterback puzzle appears far from solved – and patience in the building may be running out.
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