3 Reasons Why Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel Won Cleveland Backup Quarterback Over Shedeur Sanders

After months of media speculation and social media frenzy, the Cleveland Browns will step on the field during the regular season with rookie quarterback Dillon Gabriel backing up starter Joe Flacco.

Gabriel won the No. 2 label on the Browns depth chart, beating out veteran Kenny Pickett (traded to the Las Vegas Raiders) and former Colorado Buffaloes star Shedeur Sanders (taking the No. 3 spot).

Aug 16, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Cleveland Browns quarterback Dillon Gabriel warms up before action against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Though there's sure to be a swarm of social media criticism around Browns coach Kevin Stefanski and quarterback coach Bill Musgrave's selection of Gabriel (the online chatter regarding Gabriel and Sanders is anything but smooth sailing), the Oregon Duck veteran brings with him an impressive resume and specific skillset that put him over his quarterback competition peers.

3 Reasons Why Dillon Gabriel Is Better Fit Than Shedeur Sanders

1: Consistency In Passing Is a Gabriel Trait from Oregon

Stefanski addressed his decision to name Gabriel the backup.

“It’s such an all-encompassing evaluation. Everything the guys did in the games was important. We also saw a lot of them out here in practice and how they are at their craft,” Stefanski said. “He’s certainly somebody that we think is getting better and better.”

Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel throws out a pass during warmups as the Oregon Ducks face the Ohio State Buckeyes Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025, in the quarterfinal of the College Football Playoff at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif. | Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

When it comes to Gabriel, his performance with the Browns continues to remain reliable just like his performance with the Ducks.

In two preseason games, Gabriel's finished with a 63.2 completion percentage compared to Sanders' 58.6 completion percentage in three games.

With the Ducks, Gabriel continued consistency in his passing game with all three ranked opponents on Oregon's 2024 schedule including No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes (67.6 percent), No. 20 Illinois Fighting Illini (69.2 percent), and No. 3 Penn State Nittany Lions (68.8 percent) all receiving similar accuracy numbers from Gabriel in the passing game.

Jan 1, 2025; Pasadena, CA, USA; Oregon Ducks quarterback Dillon Gabriel (8) throws a pass during the second quarter against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Rose Bowl Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images | Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images

2: Gabriel Knows a Speedy Offense: Look at the 2-Minute Drills

When it comes to Gabriel's tenure with the Ducks, the sixth year NCAA athlete adapted to offensive coordinator Will Stein's high tempo offensive schemes. If you look at scoring drives for Gabriel under Stein, you'll see a pattern of no huddle plays in quick succession.

In Oregon's 32-31 October victory over the Ohio State Buckeyes, the Ducks recorded 65 total plays with 26:51 in total possession. Compare that to last years' national champions' 68 total plays over 33:09 in total possession, Gabriel's ability to work in high-speed, high-intensity offenses becomes clear.

That speed translates best professionally in Gabriel's two minute drills shown during the first halves of Browns preseason games against the Philadelphia Eagles and Los Angeles Rams. With the clock winding down, Gabriel employs the same quickness seen with Oregon to find his man and gain yardage on the field under pressure.

Stefanski's spread wide-zone offense also looks fairly similar to Stein's, for what it's worth.

Dillon Gabriel showing what he can do in the 2-minute drill

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Oct 26, 2024; Eugene, Oregon, USA; Oregon Ducks quarterback Dillon Gabriel (8) waits to be interviewed after a game against the Illinois Fighting Illini at Autzen Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images | Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

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3: Gabriel's Experience Is Weapon

When it comes to Gabriel's tenure in college football, the 24-year-old boasts six years of experience and 63 games over three different programs (the most games played in NCAA history), with the Ducks as his third landing spot.

Gabriel simply has more experience than Sanders, with Gabriel clocking NCAA records such as most career touchdowns responsible (190), tying for the most career touchdown passes (155), most career points responsible for (1,136), and is the eighth college quarterback in history to surpass 15,000 career yards.

Gabriel's wealth of experience also made him invaluable at Oregon for training the next round of quarterbacks like Dante Moore, Austin Novosad, and Luke Moga. All three current Ducks attribute Gabriel as a mentor.

Having a mentor mind set for several quarterbacks gives Gabriel a unique perspective to know how to support starter Flacco and know what to do to sharpen his own game, as he steps into the Browns second-up man under center.