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The Cleveland Browns have had a quarterback problem since the NFL granted the regeneration of the franchise in 1999. The legendary Browns quarterback jerseys tell the sad story of an organization that has swung mightily and struck out spectacularly over and over at football's most important position.
The biggest swing and miss was obviously the trade for Deshaun Watson on March 18, 2022. Giving three first-round picks to the Houston Texans for Watson, and subsequently signing Watson to a five-year, $230 million, fully guaranteed contract has become one of the worst deals in sports history, because Watson has been an epic disaster both on and off the field.
That Watson deal will hamstring the Browns for at least the next two years, but the idea is still to put a competitive team on the field. They did so in 2023 despite the quarterback questions with one of NFL's best defense; plummeting from 11-6 to 3-14 last season was more about defensive injuries than anything happening to a quarterback room where the bar was already underground.
Now, the quarterback room still demands clarity. There's the return of Joe Flacco, a semi-legend for the team in 2023. There's former Pittsburgh Steelers first-round pick Kenny Pickett, fighting for his NFL life in Season 4. And there are two picks in the 2025 draft: Oregon's Dillon Gabriel with the 94th overall pick in the third round, and Colorado's Shedeur Sanders with the 144th overall pick in the fifth round.
In a public perception sense, Gabriel is the underdog here, because nobody would shut up about Sanders' fall from alleged first-round talent to fifth-round reality for whatever reason. But when you look at the schematic preferences shown by head coach and offensive shot-caller Kevin Stefanski, it's really the other way around.
Go back to the 2023 season, before Stefanski switched up the passing game to align with what he thought would make things easier and better for Watson. The 2024 Browns with offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey were more simplistic in their concepts and personnel groupings, but if you revert to the years before that, Stefanski wants a passing in which two- and three-tight ends sets are the order of the day and quarterbacks are on the move in designed concepts.
Even with Flacco as the post-Watson starter in 2023, the quarterback was on the move. Flacco threw from outside the pocket 35 times on 38 dropbacks, completing 24 passes for 482 yards, 275 air yards, six touchdowns, no interceptions, and a league-best passer rating of 150.9. Stefanski was going to get his quarterback on the move no matter what, even with a quarterback to whom "sneaky athletic" would be an overestimation.
Well, when you review what Stefanski and general manager Andrew Berry had to say about both Gabriel and Sanders after they were drafted, the preference is clear, and though both men insisted that team owner Jimmy Haslam did not interfere with the Sanders addition as he has quite often in the past with horrible results (the Watson deal and selecting Johnny Manziel with the 22nd overall pick in the 2014 draft)... well, statements say a lot.
"We really felt strongly about Dillon throughout this process," Stefanski said. "You know, I think he’s a really strong, really, really good prospect. You know, that’s not to say that we didn’t meet with other quarterbacks that we thought were really talented players and good people. But, we felt strongly about Dillon. We think he’s an excellent player and felt like he was the most appropriate player to pick for both.”
When asked about Gabriel's height as an issue — Gabriel measured 5-foot-11 and 205 pounds at the scouting combine — Stefanski had a ready answer for that, which tells you that the Browns had already audited the issue.
“It’s a good question," Stefanski said. "Obviously, there’s guys that have come before Dillon. There are guys that will come after him that don’t have the, quote, unquote, ‘ideal height’. But hasn’t held him back in his career. You know, he’s been that height for a long time. He finds a way to get it done. And, you know, that’s so important. There’s quarterbacks, different shapes and sizes. You have to be able to move in the pocket. You have to feel the pocket, you have to find throwing lanes, you have to change arm angles. All that comes innately, I think, to players based on how they’ve kind of played the game their whole life.”
A lot of shorter quarterbacks avoid throwing to the middle of the field simply because they can't see over the behemoths in front of them, So, the best adaptive strategy is to get outside the pocket and force throwing lanes. Gabriel had no issues with that last season. When throwing outside the pocket to areas of the field charted as left or right middle or middle, Gabriel completed 29 of 39 passes for 432 yards, 188 air yards, six touchdowns, no interceptions, and a passer rating of 149.8.
These were the statements of an organization that got a quarterback they believed in. Interestingly, Berry was asked at the end of Day 2 what he thought about Sanders still being on the board.
“You know what, I think it’s unfair for me to comment... I guess, maybe on behalf of the industry," he said. "All I can say is this: You know, the time that we spent with Shedeur and what he’s done throughout his college career is impressive. He’s an impressive young man. He’s a really good quarterback. Sometimes, fit comes into play, and I’d also say this, there are four more rounds of the draft. Lastly, it’s less about where you get picked, and what you do after you get picked. That’s really the most important thing. Getting to know him over the course of the spring, he has a ton of resolve, and I think he’s going to find himself in a really good spot.”
Well, if fit comes into play, and the Browns had already selected the quarterback they thought brought the best team/player fit, what does that tell you?
At the end of Day 3, when Sanders had been selected, Berry explained it thusly:
“I just say the biggest thing for us, you know, we live by our board. We felt like he was a good, solid prospect at the most important position. We felt like it got to a point where he was probably mispriced relative to the draft. Really, the acquisition cost was pretty light, and it’s a guy that we think can outproduce his draft slot. So, I wouldn’t say it’s any more than that. Obviously, Shedeur has kind of grown up in the spotlight, but our expectation is for him to come in here and work and compete. Nothing’s been promised. Nothing will be given. So, I may hesitate to characterize it as a blockbuster. That’s not necessarily how we thought of the transaction, but we are excited to work with him.”
One thing Berry said put a different cast on the whole thing.
"I can’t really speak on what other people think. I can describe how we view him. We view him as a highly accurate pocket passer. He does a really good job of protecting the ball. He has enough of the physical characteristics, whether it’s arm strength or mobility. Like all young players, there are things to improve. I think probably much has been said about the number of sacks he’s taken. Some of that is environment and some of that is improvement on his end, for sure. But he has probably a little bit more of a, call it retro or classic style of play. Again, I can’t speak to how others view him.”
If it sounds as if the Browns had evaluated Gabriel more specifically and Sanders more generally, that might indeed be a thing. Perhaps they got the man they wanted in Gabriel, and Sanders in the fifth round was a flyer pick just too good to pass up. And who knows what happens when everyone gets on the field?
What we do know is that while Sanders did throw outside the pocket a lot, it was far less by design and far more out of desperation when the Buffaloes' offensive line performed its usual implosion. What we also know is that while Sanders tends to drift in the pocket to his own detriment when under pressure, Gabriel is generally more adept at redefining his launch point to re-set and make the accurate downfield throw.
This is not to say that Shedeur Sanders is utterly miscast in the Browns' offense, or that he has no chance to succeed. But when you look at what this particular coaching staff has preferred schematically when the Deshaun Watson albatross wasn't hanging around their necks, it's also clear that Dillon Gabriel is the better fit.
Which explains the Browns' more detailed answers about Gabriel's place in that offense, and how things might organically develop in the end.
Continue reading...
The biggest swing and miss was obviously the trade for Deshaun Watson on March 18, 2022. Giving three first-round picks to the Houston Texans for Watson, and subsequently signing Watson to a five-year, $230 million, fully guaranteed contract has become one of the worst deals in sports history, because Watson has been an epic disaster both on and off the field.
That Watson deal will hamstring the Browns for at least the next two years, but the idea is still to put a competitive team on the field. They did so in 2023 despite the quarterback questions with one of NFL's best defense; plummeting from 11-6 to 3-14 last season was more about defensive injuries than anything happening to a quarterback room where the bar was already underground.
Now, the quarterback room still demands clarity. There's the return of Joe Flacco, a semi-legend for the team in 2023. There's former Pittsburgh Steelers first-round pick Kenny Pickett, fighting for his NFL life in Season 4. And there are two picks in the 2025 draft: Oregon's Dillon Gabriel with the 94th overall pick in the third round, and Colorado's Shedeur Sanders with the 144th overall pick in the fifth round.
In a public perception sense, Gabriel is the underdog here, because nobody would shut up about Sanders' fall from alleged first-round talent to fifth-round reality for whatever reason. But when you look at the schematic preferences shown by head coach and offensive shot-caller Kevin Stefanski, it's really the other way around.
Go back to the 2023 season, before Stefanski switched up the passing game to align with what he thought would make things easier and better for Watson. The 2024 Browns with offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey were more simplistic in their concepts and personnel groupings, but if you revert to the years before that, Stefanski wants a passing in which two- and three-tight ends sets are the order of the day and quarterbacks are on the move in designed concepts.
Even with Flacco as the post-Watson starter in 2023, the quarterback was on the move. Flacco threw from outside the pocket 35 times on 38 dropbacks, completing 24 passes for 482 yards, 275 air yards, six touchdowns, no interceptions, and a league-best passer rating of 150.9. Stefanski was going to get his quarterback on the move no matter what, even with a quarterback to whom "sneaky athletic" would be an overestimation.
Well, when you review what Stefanski and general manager Andrew Berry had to say about both Gabriel and Sanders after they were drafted, the preference is clear, and though both men insisted that team owner Jimmy Haslam did not interfere with the Sanders addition as he has quite often in the past with horrible results (the Watson deal and selecting Johnny Manziel with the 22nd overall pick in the 2014 draft)... well, statements say a lot.
"We really felt strongly about Dillon throughout this process," Stefanski said. "You know, I think he’s a really strong, really, really good prospect. You know, that’s not to say that we didn’t meet with other quarterbacks that we thought were really talented players and good people. But, we felt strongly about Dillon. We think he’s an excellent player and felt like he was the most appropriate player to pick for both.”
When asked about Gabriel's height as an issue — Gabriel measured 5-foot-11 and 205 pounds at the scouting combine — Stefanski had a ready answer for that, which tells you that the Browns had already audited the issue.
“It’s a good question," Stefanski said. "Obviously, there’s guys that have come before Dillon. There are guys that will come after him that don’t have the, quote, unquote, ‘ideal height’. But hasn’t held him back in his career. You know, he’s been that height for a long time. He finds a way to get it done. And, you know, that’s so important. There’s quarterbacks, different shapes and sizes. You have to be able to move in the pocket. You have to feel the pocket, you have to find throwing lanes, you have to change arm angles. All that comes innately, I think, to players based on how they’ve kind of played the game their whole life.”
A lot of shorter quarterbacks avoid throwing to the middle of the field simply because they can't see over the behemoths in front of them, So, the best adaptive strategy is to get outside the pocket and force throwing lanes. Gabriel had no issues with that last season. When throwing outside the pocket to areas of the field charted as left or right middle or middle, Gabriel completed 29 of 39 passes for 432 yards, 188 air yards, six touchdowns, no interceptions, and a passer rating of 149.8.
These were the statements of an organization that got a quarterback they believed in. Interestingly, Berry was asked at the end of Day 2 what he thought about Sanders still being on the board.
“You know what, I think it’s unfair for me to comment... I guess, maybe on behalf of the industry," he said. "All I can say is this: You know, the time that we spent with Shedeur and what he’s done throughout his college career is impressive. He’s an impressive young man. He’s a really good quarterback. Sometimes, fit comes into play, and I’d also say this, there are four more rounds of the draft. Lastly, it’s less about where you get picked, and what you do after you get picked. That’s really the most important thing. Getting to know him over the course of the spring, he has a ton of resolve, and I think he’s going to find himself in a really good spot.”
Well, if fit comes into play, and the Browns had already selected the quarterback they thought brought the best team/player fit, what does that tell you?
At the end of Day 3, when Sanders had been selected, Berry explained it thusly:
“I just say the biggest thing for us, you know, we live by our board. We felt like he was a good, solid prospect at the most important position. We felt like it got to a point where he was probably mispriced relative to the draft. Really, the acquisition cost was pretty light, and it’s a guy that we think can outproduce his draft slot. So, I wouldn’t say it’s any more than that. Obviously, Shedeur has kind of grown up in the spotlight, but our expectation is for him to come in here and work and compete. Nothing’s been promised. Nothing will be given. So, I may hesitate to characterize it as a blockbuster. That’s not necessarily how we thought of the transaction, but we are excited to work with him.”
One thing Berry said put a different cast on the whole thing.
"I can’t really speak on what other people think. I can describe how we view him. We view him as a highly accurate pocket passer. He does a really good job of protecting the ball. He has enough of the physical characteristics, whether it’s arm strength or mobility. Like all young players, there are things to improve. I think probably much has been said about the number of sacks he’s taken. Some of that is environment and some of that is improvement on his end, for sure. But he has probably a little bit more of a, call it retro or classic style of play. Again, I can’t speak to how others view him.”
If it sounds as if the Browns had evaluated Gabriel more specifically and Sanders more generally, that might indeed be a thing. Perhaps they got the man they wanted in Gabriel, and Sanders in the fifth round was a flyer pick just too good to pass up. And who knows what happens when everyone gets on the field?
What we do know is that while Sanders did throw outside the pocket a lot, it was far less by design and far more out of desperation when the Buffaloes' offensive line performed its usual implosion. What we also know is that while Sanders tends to drift in the pocket to his own detriment when under pressure, Gabriel is generally more adept at redefining his launch point to re-set and make the accurate downfield throw.
This is not to say that Shedeur Sanders is utterly miscast in the Browns' offense, or that he has no chance to succeed. But when you look at what this particular coaching staff has preferred schematically when the Deshaun Watson albatross wasn't hanging around their necks, it's also clear that Dillon Gabriel is the better fit.
Which explains the Browns' more detailed answers about Gabriel's place in that offense, and how things might organically develop in the end.
Related: How the Seahawks Can Turn QB Jalen Milroe Into Their Future King
Related: Shedeur Sanders Isn't Being Blackballed — He's Being Tebowed
Related: Shedeur Sanders Isn't Being Blackballed — He's Being Tebowed
Continue reading...
