Kenny Pickett is still dealing with a hamstring, Shedeur Sanders is sidelined with an oblique injury he picked up at practice this week, and 40-year-old Joe Flacco is predictably sitting out the preseason. That left the Cleveland Browns’ Week 2 preseason game rested squarely on rookie Dillon Gabriel’s shoulders.
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Gabriel responded very well right off the bat, leading the Browns on a methodical 13-play touchdown drive that included three clutch third-down conversions for Gabriel. After that display against the Philadelphia Eagles, even his haters had to acknowledge it was a good start.
Skip Bayless is well-known as one of the staunchest supporters and believers in Shedeur Sanders in the sports media landscape. However, he acknowledged Gabriel’s fast start, even comparing the rookie with Tua Tagovailoa. However, it’s unclear whether the comparison was meant as a negative or a positive.
Nice opening drive by Dillon Gabriel against the Eagles backups. I’m not surprised. Again, I’ve been saying for 3 years he’s a little better than Tua.
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) August 16, 2025
Unfortunately for Gabriel, he had a couple of big mistakes thereafter. He did lead two more field goal drives, but he also threw a pick-six on a miscommunication with a wideout, and botched a handoff a couple of series later. Gabriel still finished a solid 13-for-18 for 143 yards through the air. He also ran it twice for one yard.
But even before the game started, Bayless was already getting on Gabriel. While the pundit was kind of trying to compliment him, it came off as a backhanded compliment, since Gabriel’s prowess was only acknowledged in the context that he’s still not as good as Shedeur Sanders, who sits behind him on the depth chart.
“I watched every snap Dillon Gabriel took for two years at Oklahoma. He’s pretty good – a little better Tua and he can move. BUT HE’S NO SHEDEUR. Cleveland took him 50 slots ahead of Shedeur so Gabriel will be given every opportunity and edge to beat out Shedeur,” Bayless tweeted.
However, fans weren’t buying the analyst’s take. “He seems to be a more NFL-ready player, Skip. It’s not just athleticism…” complained one fan.
“Your infatuation is getting old…” said another.
“Bro, he’s not even close to Tua. The hell are you talking about?” pointed out a third. “You disqualified yourself like 5 times in this paragraph,” quipped a fourth.
Whatever Bayless thinks doesn’t really matter, however. He’s clearly in the Sanders camp, and it’s not like Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski is listening to Bayless’ podcast looking for tips and insight. Gabriel and Sanders have both basically gotten one half of preseason football each (Tyler Huntley subbed in to finish off both games).
The team will hope that they can each get a few more serious preseason reps next week as they hone in on who they want to be their Week 1 starter. Flacco seems likely, but one of the rookies would certainly be exciting.
