The Cleveland Browns thought they had found their franchise quarterback. After five starts, it certainly doesn’t feel that way.
Dillon Gabriel hasn’t looked like an NFL-caliber player so far. Still, Kevin Stefanski seems to be fully invested in him.
With that in mind, Browns analyst Lance Reisland claimed that Week 11 would be crucial for the third-round rookie. He believes he’s under ‘tremendous scrutiny.’
“Gabriel is under tremendous scrutiny. The only way to fix that is to play better and win some ball games. He hasn’t been terrible, but he hasn’t been impactful either. This is a big game early in the career of Gabriel-a chance to change everything,” Reisland posted on X.
Gabriel is under tremendous scrutiny. The only way to fix that is to play better and win some ball games. He hasn’t been terrible, but he hasn’t been impactful either. This is a big game early in the career of Gabriel-a chance to change everything. #Browns
— Lance Reisland (Coach Riz) (@LanceReisland) November 16, 2025
Concerns Mount Over Gabriel’s Future
Truth be told, it’s hard to feel excited about Dillon Gabriel right now. It’s not that rookie quarterbacks can’t make mistakes or won’t go through growing pains, but Gabriel’s flaws may not be fixable.
He used to be considered mobile and accurate, so that could still be there. But he’s not going to get taller or have a stronger arm.
More than that, we’re talking about a quarterback who spent six years in college. He’s closer to being a finished product at this point in his career, and if that’s the case, it’s definitely not an encouraging sign.
The Browns raised plenty of eyebrows when they chose to take Gabriel in the third round. Some teams reportedly didn’t even have him getting drafted at all.
And even though it’s never wise to give up on quarterbacks after just a handful of starts, the potential never seemed to be there. If he looks bad again on Sunday against the Ravens, it’ll be very difficult to justify keeping him on the field or even on the team for much longer.
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