Preseason games don’t mean much in the NFL when it comes to the regular season, but I can assure you that a little positive momentum never hurt a team or its locker room heading into the regular season. It feels weird to shed a positive light on a 2-0 preseason start for the Cleveland Browns, but so far, there have been a ton of positives, especially with the rookie quarterbacks Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel.
I would like to warn fans, it’s not fair to judge either quarterback off one start. Comparing the Sanders and Gabriel start is legitimately like comparing apples to oranges in the grand scheme. There were different levels of competition, different starters and non-starters who played and didn’t play on both sides, and many other factors to consider.
At this point, it’s safe to say the Browns have two rookies who look more than capable of running an NFL offense at a high level. Sanders had the better stats with two touchdowns and turning a few broken plays into nice gains, but he was also handed a few short fields by the defense and special teams, causing turnovers.
Stefanski on the Gabriel INT: ‘All interceptions are not created equal.’ Said there should not have been 2 receivers in same area.
— Tony Grossi (@TonyGrossi) August 16, 2025
Gabriel certainly got a bit of a black eye with the pick-six that he threw, but when you watch the tape, there were clearly two receivers in the same spot on miscommunication, which never gave the play a chance. Absolutely, it was a bad throw, but Kevin Stefanski was quoted after the game saying, "All interceptions are not created equal." But overall, it was a quality start for Gabriel, and he was a major reason that the Browns won the game.
Good first half for #Browns Gabriel despite the pick-six, which was only partially his fault: 13-of-18, 143 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT, 72.2 rating. Tyler Huntley will replace him.
— Mary Kay Cabot (@MaryKayCabot) August 16, 2025
After watching both games, both players have a lot of opportunities to get better, and both will bring something different to the team. Sanders will hold the ball and make a few mistakes but also have a lot of big plays. Gabriel will run the offense as intended with fewer opportunities for big broken plays.
At the end of the day, look for Stefanski to start either Joe Flacco or Kenny Pickett, but one of these young guys could definitely get a start before the end of the season.