Cleveland Browns rookie Dillon Gabriel has spent the last five games learning on the fly as the team’s starter, and the results have been difficult to overlook – especially for fans of Shedeur Sanders.
His completion percentage sits at 58.6 percent, well below the league average, and his 1-4 record reflects a passing attack still searching for rhythm. Even so, head coach Kevin Stefanski continues to stand firmly behind him.
Stefanski has maintained throughout the season that the Browns are taking a long-view approach with Gabriel, emphasizing development and stability rather than throwing multiple young quarterbacks into a volatile situation.
The debate has taken a sharper tone as losses pile up, and former NFL MVPCam Newton stepped in this week with a perspective that challenges the most vocal critics.
Cam Newton says the Browns’ situation is the real issue
Speaking on his 4th & 1 Podcast, Newton argued that Cleveland‘s issues extend far beyond the quarterback position and that inserting Sanders into the lineup would not produce better results under the current circumstances.
“If the untrained eye is expecting the Cleveland Browns to put Shedeur Sanders in at quarterback, with what he has at his disposal, you would be a fool to think that he would do anything different than Dillon Gabriel.
“If you are a fan of the Cleveland Browns, or you are a fan of Shedeur Sanders, you wouldn’t even want him to be in that type of situation.”
Stefanski puts up another defense of Gabriel
When asked about Gabriel‘s rocky start, the coach acknowledged the obvious flaws while spreading responsibility across the roster and coaching staff.
“I think there’s an understanding that there’s going to be ups and downs,” Stefanski said.
“Can Dillon play better? Yes, he can. Can we play better around him? Yes, we can. Can we coach him better? Yes, we can.
“I just trust that our young players, at every position and certainly at the quarterback position, are going to work their tails off to get better every single day.”
Those comments did little to calm a frustrated public hoping to see Shedeur Sanders, the more heavily discussed of the team’s two rookie quarterbacks.
Sanders‘ dramatic slide in this year’s draft immediately raised eyebrows, and many fans expected his opportunity to come sooner rather than later. Instead, the Browns have shown no sign that a quarterback change is imminent.
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