Shedeur Sanders Did Not Outplay Dillon Gabriel, Cleveland Browns Minicamp Per Insider

Former Oregon Ducks quarterback Dillon Gabriel will continue to battle with Shedeur Sanders and others for the Cleveland Browns starting job leading up to the 2025 NFL regular season. Who has the leg up between the two rookies?

Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders (12) watches quarterback Dillon Gabriel (5) during day two of NFL rookie minicamp at the Cleveland Browns training facility on Saturday, May 10, 2025, in Berea, Ohio. / Jeff Lange / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Former Oregon Ducks quarterback Dillon Gabriel has been making headlines lately as he continues the start of what fixes to be an interesting quarterback battle for the Cleveland Browns.

A third-round pick by Cleveland in the 2025 NFL Draft, Gabriel will look to compete for the starting job with fellow rookie and fifth-round pick Shedeur Sanders along with Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett. Gabriel and Sanders already got things rolling at Browns rookie minicamp, where conflicting reports emerged about which quarterback looked better.

According to Browns reporter Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com, the competition was tight between the two rookies with Gabriel likely having the slight edge.

May 9, 2025; Berea, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns quarterback Dillon Gabriel (5) throws a pass during rookie minicamp at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images / Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

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"(Sanders) looked comfortable running the offense, but more so from a post-snap standpoint. . . . " Cabot wrote. " He didn’t beat out Gabriel hands-down like some have reported -- it was much closer to a tie -- but he looked very good and more than held his own."

In two seasons at Colorado, Sanders went 651 of 907 passing for 7,364 yards, 64 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. He also added eight rushing touchdowns. Performing at an elite level while being under a massive spotlight says a lot about Sanders as a player and person.

And yet, it was the more-experienced Gabriel that was drafted two rounds before Sanders in a move that surprised many fans.

During the 2025 NFL Draft, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport said that the Browns see Gabriel as a solid future backup and Sanders as a "lottery ticket" that could prove to be a low-risk, high-reward player.

Cleveland Browns quarterback Dillon Gabriel (5) leads a huddle during NFL rookie minicamp at the Cleveland Browns training facility on Friday, May 9, 2025, in Berea, Ohio. / Jeff Lange / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

"You have Deshaun Watson, re-tore his Achilles, not expected to play this year. Everything else is now completely up for grabs," Rapoport said. "Dillon Gabriel, a high energy kind of run-around future backup, that does seem to be where the Browns have him targeted. Shedeur Sanders is a lottery ticket. Some view him as a future starter. If he develops, he could be more. We will see."

"The Cleveland Browns also, as you guys know, acquired a first-round pick in the future," Rapoport continued. "They still need a franchise quarterback, one that can help them next year, get whoever that ends up being. If Shedeur turns into the franchise quarterback that he believes he can be, and other teams believe he can be, then they just have a free first next year. They can do whatever they want. It is a lottery ticket for the Browns at a very low cost."

Gabriel and Sanders will begin the preseason on the road against the Carolina Panthers on Aug. 8 where they will likely both get a chance to show what they can do.

Cleveland will also play the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles and Los Angeles Rams during the preseason before opening the 2025 campaign at home against the Cincinnati Bengals.

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