Browns QB Dillon Gabriel nominated for NFL Rookie of the Week honor despite bad game

Somehow, someway, Dillon Gabriel has been nominated for the NFL's Rookie of the Week honor.

On Sunday, Nov. 9, the Cleveland Browns took on the New York Jets and looked abysmal, losing 27-20. And unfortunately, one of the main reasons why the Browns fell was the lackluster offensive production.

Gabriel, a 2025 third-round selection in the NFL Draft, tossed 15-for-32 for 167 yards and two touchdowns while tacking on five rushes for 54 yards.

“In certain moments, we didn’t execute and that starts with me,” Gabriel said. “It’s always frustrating when it’s not going the way you want it to. In crucial moments, you have to execute and we didn’t.”

While those statistics do not look that bad, he was incredibly ineffective and the film shows so much more than the numbers.

The 24-year-old rarely completed open passes, threw over the top of wideout Malachi Corley who could've dashed for a score and when throwing down the field, barely got the ball to his intended target.

To say this honor of being nominated for Rookie of the Week comes as a surprise would be an understatement. This was downright shocking.

#Browns QB Dillon Gabriel has been nominated for the NFL's Rookie of the Week Award.
— Camryn Justice (@camijustice) November 11, 2025

The loss to the Jets marks a 2-7 record now on the 2025 campaign, with the team's only wins coming against the Green Bay Packers, 13-10, on a game winning field goal, and the strugglesome Miami Dolphins, 31-6.

Unfortunately, Gabriel hasn't been able to show many signs of growth throughout his time as the team's starting quarterback.

He's passed for 869 yards, seven touchdowns and two interceptions while completing 58.6% of his passes in his rookie season.

Through seven games and five starts, he's completed a long pass of 24, giving him an average of five yards an attempt through the air. Simply, Gabriel isn't ready to be the team's starting signal caller with his inability to complete easy passes and throw the ball downfield, especially at the pro level with a defense that is trying to remain competitive.

But head coach Kevin Stefanski has routinely doubled down on the belief in his former Oregon Duck.

“We’re going to stick with Dillon,” Stefanski said. “This is a young player and you’re always trying to get one game better and those types of things. We have to play better as an offense.”

As the Browns prepare to welcome the Baltimore Ravens at Huntington Bank Field this coming weekend, all signs point to Gabriel remaining as the team's starter.

Others nominated for the Rookie of the Week honors include New Orleans Saints quarterback Tyler Shough, New England Patriots running back TreVeyon Henderson, wideout Emeka Egbuka, defensive end Jalon Walker and safety Nick Emmanwori.

Each has a much better chance of winning the honor than Gabriel.