The Cleveland Browns couldn’t get the job done overseas.
However, as infuriating as the loss may have been, at least it gave the fans a glimmer of hope for the future.
At least, that’s how Brent Sobleski feels.
In his latest column, the Bleacher Report analyst gave Dillon Gabriel a ‘B’ grade in his debut, citing that, ironically, it was the defense that let the team down:
“The Cleveland Browns may be 1-4, but the team may have experienced a ray of hope Sunday in London thanks to the promising play of rookie Dillon Gabriel during his first NFL start. Stefanski protected Gabriel somewhat with a balanced attack and by not asking him to do more than operate the offense, specifically within the short-to-intermediate range. Mainly, Gabriel didn’t look overwhelmed and he handled the situation quite well despite the extenuating circumstances and logistical differences of playing overseas. Cleveland’s vaunted defense let the team down. Gabriel, plus fellow rookies Quinshon Judkins and Harold Fannin Jr., provides optimism,” Sobleski wrote.
Gabriel wasn’t spectacular, but he was efficient and played mistake-free football.
Perhaps the bar is the lowest it’s ever been, but that’s just what this team needs; they don’t even need a superstar.
Kevin Stefanski kept things simple at times, but he also trusted the offense by going for it three times on fourth down.
Gabriel operated better with quick and short passes, which was mostly what he did in his final year in college.
The Oregon product is a cerebral player, and he looked quite comfortable in Stefanski’s play-action-heavy offense.
The Browns’ wide receivers are still playing poorly, and they need to give whoever is under center a helping hand.
Jerry Jeudy is up to five drops for the season, raising questions about whether he can legitimately be a WR1.
As for Gabriel, things won’t get much easier when he heads back home to face off with Mike Tomlin and the Pittsburgh Steelers’ defense, but he definitely gave the team a light at the end of the tunnel after four weeks of subpar quarterback play.
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