Ever since Shedeur Sanders took over as the starter in Cleveland, two major events have transpired. First, there is a renewed vigor and optimism among the Browns. And second, Dillon Gabriel has seemingly gone completely MIA from the public eye.
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In fact, the only time the Oregon alum made headlines was when his fiancée, Zo Caswell, on TikTok claimed that nobody in the Browns camp likes Shedeur Sanders. She also claimed that “everyone in the building wants him [Gabriel] to play.”
Well, what’s happened since the controversy is that Shedeur Sanders’ stocks have risen to a different level; one that’s seen him from being evaluated on a week-to-week basis to HC Kevin Stefanski officially crowning him as the QB1 in Cleveland.
To be fair, Sanders deserves the recognition. Since taking over as the starter, the Browns have had a tough schedule and Sanders has led his team to a 2-4 record. In the six games that Gabriel got as the talisman, he could only notch up a single win.
The gap between the two widens when one compares the two statistically. On one hand, Sanders has thrown for 1,242 passing yards and 7 TDs, Gabriel in his 10 appearances has 7 scores and 937 yards. But where Gabriel triumphs over his rookie compatriot is interceptions (2 vs. 9) and a superior passer rating (80.8 vs. 74.0).
But overall, when one factors in the intangibles, Shedeur Sanders clearly has been the superior rookie talent. And the Browns seemingly made this evident when they took to social media to share their core memories/moments from the 2025 season.
At the start of the video was Shedeur Sanders smiling, followed by Myles Garrett yelling Pokemon. The video then proceeded to share a few more Sanders moments laced with viral social media sound bytes from the Browns receiver core.
Looking at the roster, shedeur is DEFINITELY a better locker room fit than Dillon https://t.co/6dO9jcJP4l
— Tendernism (@FlightChampagne) January 1, 2026
The clip made it clear that their initially selected QB1 Dillon Gabriel is neither a fan favorite at Cleveland and nor did he do enough on the field to warrant a core memory spot this season. And Browns fans were the first to notice this — some in surprise, the others, in admission.
“No Dillon Gabriel?” wrote a fan, presumably surprised. “The midget Dillon now where to be found,” trolled one. “Where has Dillon been? We don’t see him anywhere on the side line?” noted another.
While many expressed their jokes and shock, one fan had a poignant take: the video shows Shedeur Sanders gelling with his teammates, something that Dillon Gabriel barely did … at least from what we saw online. “Looking at the roster, shedeur is DEFINITELY a better locker room fit than Dillon,” pointed the X user.
As things stand, it is unclear if the snub by the Browns social media team was a planned move. But we have enough evidence and fan insights to believe that Gabriel has not had the on and off-field impact that Browns desired from him.
Safe to say, Shedeur Sanders making the most of his chances only added to his misery. As the adage goes, one man’s concussion is another man’s starting position.
