Look, I know the words "get serious" and "Cleveland Browns" are oxymorons, but it's time to call a spade a spade. We're still in the early goings of Training Camp, but anyone with a working set of eyeballs or an internet connection can tell how obvious it has been that Shedeur Sanders is a better QB than Dillon Gabriel.
And yet, the Browns continue to prioritize the rookie from Oregon over the one from Colorado. Why? Well, they don't want to admit they were wrong, that's why. The Browns took Gabriel in the third round and Sanders in the fifth. It makes sense, in the early going of Training Camp, that they would lean toward Gabriel's development slightly more because of it.
But where someone was drafted is meaningless once real, live reps happen. And in those reps, Sanders has been better than Gabriel at every single turn. You see it. I see it. Why can't the Cleveland Browns see it?
Take Friday's practice as yet another example:
Day 8 of Browns training camp is a wrap. Here’s how all 3 QBs performed in team drills.
— ESPN Cleveland (@ESPNCleveland) August 1, 2025
Kenny Pickett practiced but didn’t do team drills. pic.twitter.com/HLLzDx7ro6
3-of-14?!?!? Come on, man.
Shedeur Sanders has consistently outperformed Dillon Gabriel in Browns camp
Friday is just the latest example of what has become obvious. Shoutout to X user CintrixIRL, who has put together the statistics from Training Camp for the two rookies:
Sanders: 50/70 (71.4%), 6 TDs, 0 INTs
Gabriel: 51/87 (58.6%), 3 TDs, 2 INTs
Gabriel has attempted 17 more passes in camp than Sanders, and yet has just one more completion. If this were a prize fight, they'd call it off. And yet, Gabriel will probably continue to see more playing time in practice and will likely play more in the Browns' preseason opener next Friday. And this is why bad teams stay bad. They refuse to admit they made a mistake, even when the mistake is screaming in their face.
It was obvious heading into the draft that Sanders was a superior prospect to Gabriel. It was never his ability on the football field that caused his shocking draft slide. And now, Sanders has a chip on his shoulder. He's consistently been excellent in Training Camp, and if the Browns ever want to be considered a serious franchise again, they would start prioritizing his development. Now.
Cleveland is still likely to start one of the veterans: Joe Flacco or Kenny Pickett, at least early in the season. They want to believe they can field a competitive team this year, though that isn't likely. Once the inevitable happens and the Browns are no longer in the playoff hunt, they'll be smart to turn the reins over to one of the rookie quarterbacks, just to see what they have and determine right then and there whether they have to draft another QB in 2026.
Hopefully by then, what is obvious to everyone else has become obvious to the Browns, too.