In some ways, the Cleveland Browns’ decision to trade Joe Flacco and begin the Dillon Gabriel era was a huge one. It was the announcing of yet another new face, signifying that the front office wouldn’t be content with another losing season.
Advertisement
On the other hand, however, not much else has changed. Were they able to find their second win of the season against an imploding Miami Dolphins team? Sure. But with 116 passing yards and only 13 completions, it’s hard to credit Gabriel for that success.
The Oregon product is currently averaging 175.67 passing yards per game as a starter, and his completion percentage is officially below 60%. Nevertheless, Lance Reisland isn’t willing to pull the plug on him just yet, as he believes that it’s simply too early to begin assessing any of the remaining quarterbacks in Cleveland.
“I just think it’s too early to say [Gabriel] can’t do it or he can do it. Same with Shedeur. Sure, he hasn’t played yet, but to say that he’s going to be lights out better, I don’t see that because you have tackle issues, you have receiver issues… I like [Gabriel’s] efficiency. I like the fact that they won. I will never downplay winning.”
Seeing as Cleveland has only managed to compile five total wins since the start of the 2024 season, Reisland’s certainly right to suggest that this isn’t something for the Browns’ fan base or front office to turn their nose up at. A win is a win after all, and it’s now got Gabriel headed in the right direction.
His passing metrics may not be flashy, and according to some, the lack of downfield play potential is also concerning, but in the end, Reisland suggests that Gabriel is still succeeding at a fundamental level, and that’s about all that you can ask of him at this point in time.
“He’s going to have to get better at moving the ball downfield. He’s going to have to improve his accuracy… But where he’s at right now, I think he’s doing a very solid job with lots of room for improvement… For me, the progression has been good, but I want to see it continue, especially with some shots down field.”
Conveniently enough, Gabriel will potentially get a chance to do just that in Week 8, when he will take on a New England Patriots defense that is currently allowing the third most net yards gained per pass attempt in the entire league. The Patriots have also given up the seventh most passing yards and passing first downs of any team through the first seven weeks of the season, meaning that Gabriel should have an ample amount of opportunities to prove that his arm is more lively than the masses are giving it credit for.
