Shedeur Sanders has stange reaction to Dillon Gabriel being named starting quarterback

This morning, it was officially announced that Dillon Gabriel would be the starting quarterback of the Cleveland Browns this Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings.

The move was expected from most Cleveland fans, as Joe Flacco has struggled so far this season with 815 yards, two touchdown passes, and six interceptions. The Browns' struggling out of the gate has also forced this decision on Kevin Stefanski and Andrew Berry, as they have begun 1-3 so far.

The Browns drafted two quarterbacks in this year’s draft. In the third round, they selected Oregon product Dillon Gabriel, and in the fifth round, they selected Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders.

Much was made of the Sanders draft slide, as many experts and scouts were projecting Shedeur to be drafted in the first couple of rounds, but none of them predicted that he would fall all the way to the fifth round to the Browns.

After the move was announced, Gabriel would start, Shedeur was asked how he felt about the quarterback change, and his answer is below.

Sanders opted for the route of not saying anything; instead, he just mouthed his words and did not voice any of his opinions. This could be for many reasons; one reason could be that he just did not feel like talking to the media about the change because it is out of his control.

After the Browns named Dillon Gabriel their new starting quarterback, Shedeur Sanders reacted with a full mime:
pic.twitter.com/0qa23cpdOb
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 1, 2025

Another reason is that Sanders is such a polarizing person that the media attention on him is nonstop, so most of what he says will be posted everywhere, with people taking every possible angle on each word to either defend the quarterback or criticize him.

Sanders impressed in his first start in week one of the preseason, passing for 138 yards, two touchdowns, and rushing for about 20 yards. Many Browns fans were calling for Sanders to get the start immediately, but that was not how the situation played out.

Sanders would sit out week two of the preseason with an injury, allowing Gabriel to start vs the Eagles. Gabriel also impressed, but had some costly turnovers. In week three of the preseason, it seems Gabriel earned his spot at second in the depth chart. Gabriel went 12 of 19 for 129 yards and a touchdown. Sanders struggled, though, completing 3 of 6 passes for 14 yards and getting sacked five times.

Gabriel was named the second-string quarterback when the regular season started behind Joe Flacco, and now, with the team and Flacco underperforming, he will get his chance to start this Sunday. Unfortunately for Shedeur, he will have to wait at least a couple more weeks to showcase his skills.