The Cleveland Browns made the switch at quarterback to rookie third-rounder Dillon Gabriel for their Week 5 matchup with the Minnesota Vikings in London, and while the Browns were unable to pull off a win, Gabriel showed plenty of promise and put to rest any question about whether or not the Browns made the right move in starting him.
Joe Flacco was traded to the Cincinnati Bengals on Tuesday, clearing the path for Gabriel to get an extended look, and former Super Bowl champion QB Kurt Warner recently shared why he was impressed with Gabriel and believes starting him is the right move.
During an appearance on The Rich Eisen Show, Warner shared why he was impressed with Gabriel’s debut.
“He definitely didn’t look overwhelmed. I don’t think it was a great performance, but made some throws down the field that were NFL throws. I thought it was a solid performance and something that you can definitely build on,” Warner said.”
Gabriel threw for 190 yards and a pair of touchdowns in the game, and most importantly, he didn’t turn the ball over, which was something that plagued this team over the first month of the season.
Flacco had eight turnovers in the first four games, so as long as Gabriel can avoid doing that, this team will have a chance to win, given how good the defense has been and how promising the running game has become with Quinshon Judkins in the backfield.
Gabriel didn’t look like a rookie, and with another tough defense on the agenda with the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 6, we’ll see if Gabriel can guide this team to its first win in Pittsburgh in the regular season since 2003.
If he can, the Browns may have the beginnings of something special on their hands.
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