A dramatic but slightly expected piece of news has surfaced this week from reporter Cory Skuza about the quarterback carousel in the Cleveland Browns. Specifically, about rookie Dillon Gabriel. Skuza received a startling message from a Browns player and shared it in a tweet:

“A Browns player texted me last night (didn’t realize he had my number) and told me he was done with Dillon Gabriel.”

Skuza, however, did not drop any names.

His tweet rips the lid off what has clearly become a boiling internal frustration within the Browns’ locker room regarding their rookie quarterback. When the Browns drafted Gabriel in the third round of the 2025 draft, the organization signaled a new era. Yet, the returns on Gabriel have been rocky. While Browns coaches and ownership have publicly stood by him, believing in his potential and high football IQ, the whispers from the locker room suggest a much different reality.

The team’s 27-20 loss to the Jets last Sunday, marked by familiar second-half offensive struggles, seems to have been the breaking point for some players. Down by just one score, the Browns faced a critical fourth-and-one. Instead of relying on a power run game, new offensive coordinator Tommy Rees called a pass play. The result?

Gabriel was sacked for a seven-yard loss, ending a vital possession.

But then again, during the post-game press release, the coach was up defending the team’s rookie QB. Moreover, he took the whole blame on himself as he said,

“There’s going to be a handful of calls that you make that the defense won the rep, and that happens in football throughout a game.”

Following the results, veteran Browns beat reporter Mary Kay Cabot suggested Gabriel deserved more time to develop. But when players are signaling their frustrations, the debate moves beyond development and into taking effective leadership. All that said, what is head coach Kevin Stefanski’s stance?

Kevin Stefanski on Dillon Gabriel, QB2 decision involving Shedeur Sanders

The quarterback situation in the Browns is less a competition and more a puzzle that head coach Kevin Stefanski seems intent on solving at his own pace. Since the October 7 trade that sent veteran Joe Flacco to the Cincinnati Bengals, the starting role was handed to rookie Dillon Gabriel. Yet, his performance has done little to cement that decision.

He’s completed just 58.6% of his passes for 869 yards, seven touchdowns, and two interceptions, averaging a modest 124.1 yards per game. These numbers, frankly, are not moving the needle for a struggling team. Meanwhile, waiting in the wings is fifth-round rookie Shedeur Sanders, the high-profile son of Pro Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders.

Despite the team’s weak play and constant offensive stagnation, Sanders has yet to take a single snap in a regular-season game. With the team faltering, every move by Stefanski is being dissected. A day ago, the coach offered a peek behind the curtain, but it only seemed to add more confusion to the quarterback room. As reported by Zac Jackson of The Athletic, Stefanski announced that:

“Nothing has changed re: Shedeur Sanders’ practice reps or routine, but said Sanders has been good in post-practice drills with other young players, including today in red zone.”

Sanders’s lack of field time has been partly explained by recent injuries. He missed Week 8 against the Patriots and was limited in practice due to back tightness. Even before the Week 10 game against the Jets, Stefanski opined that Gabriel was the starting QB.

So, the message from the head coach is clear: the job belongs to Gabriel, and there is no imminent change in the practice structure to get Sanders first-team reps.