The Cleveland Browns have to find a franchise quarterback.
However, as disappointing as Dillon Gabriel has been in his four starts, the team isn’t doing much to help him.
Former Browns defensive back Joe Haden recently blamed Gabriel’s struggles on their lack of success on first down.
“Playing behind the sticks, when it’s second and 9, third and 10, you’re f*****. That’s not a good place to be in as a rookie quarterback. You need to be running the ball. You need to be ahead of the sticks, second and 3. Now they don’t know if you’re going to run or pass. Being in obvious passing situations when you don’t have a good [line], it’s not a place you want to be in,” Haden said.
"Playing behind the sticks, when it's 2nd & 9, 3rd & 10, you're f****d… that's not a good place to be in as a Rookie QB"@joehaden23 on the Browns Offensive Struggles 😬 #DawgPound pic.twitter.com/vlDsNKWmSx
— Honor The Land (@honortheland) October 30, 2025
Context matters, and not all of the Browns’ offensive issues have been Gabriel’s fault.
The playcalling has been conservative, boring and predictable.
The offensive line has given him little protection, and the wide receivers continue to drop passes and struggle to create any sort of separation.
He’s also faced some very good defenses and, to be fair, he won his only start at home so far, defeating the Miami Dolphins in Week 7.
That being said, his shortcomings are the same things that worried scouts heading into the 2025 NFL Draft.
He’s not as tall as most QBs at this level, and he doesn’t make up for that with other elite traits.
He was expected to be an accurate passer, yet he’s missing open targets by yards at times.
He hasn’t showcased his mobility, either, and his inability to push the ball down the field has held the offense back.
Gabriel hasn’t been put in a real position to succeed, but it also feels like most of the problems with his game cannot be fixed with coaching.
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