The fans weren’t the only ones disappointed by what they saw from the Cleveland Browns this season. There were certainly players on the roster who wanted the team to achieve more and were upset by their lackluster record.
Dillon Gabriel surely wasn’t happy with how the season played out. Gabriel, a rookie looking to prove himself, delivered inconsistency again and again and couldn’t hold onto his role as the starting quarterback all season. There is room for improvement from Gabriel, but questions about whether he’ll be given the opportunity to try again.
Writing for Cleveland.com, Lance Reisland dug into Gabriel’s first season and said that he’s a young player who can be the right fit for the Browns, but only in very select situations. When the pressure is on and the defense is closing in, Gabriel just doesn’t have what it takes.
Because of that, Reisland gave Gabriel a 26 out of 50 for his opening year in the NFL, proving that he is far from where he needs to be.
“Gabriel’s final grade of 26 out of 50 reflects a quarterback who can function in the NFL, but one who is not yet capable of driving a franchise. He has real strengths that show up on tape. He processes well, understands structure, protects the football, and can operate an offense when the picture is clean and defined. That being said, Gabriel does not consistently elevate the players around him or change the feel of a game when things break down. Physically, his tools are solid but not special, which means his timing and decision-making have to be nearly perfect. As of now, he profiles as a quarterback you can win with in the right environment, not one you build a franchise around or ask to carry the offense when it matters most,” Reisland wrote.
Reisland’s description of Gabriel doesn’t summarize the sort of quarterback that an NFL team wants to lead them. Instead, that sounds more like a backup QB, at best. And depending on how the draft and offseason go, the Browns may not even have that in mind for Gabriel.
There is a chance that Cleveland fans don’t see any more of Gabriel, especially if the team pursues another QB. That would be an unfortunate turn of events for the young player because it’s not unreasonable to think of him improving over time. But he will not be able to show improvement if he isn’t given another chance.
Gabriel completed 110 of his 185 passes with 937 passing yards and seven touchdowns. He certainly did show flashes of an ability to read the field well, but it just wasn’t enough. Now that the offseason has started, the Browns have a lot of choices to make, including what they will do with Gabriel.
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