Dillon Gabriel Appears to Take Shot at Shedeur Sanders After Preseason Debut

The Cleveland Browns put Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders in direct competition after taking both quarterbacks in the 2025 NFL Draft.

Aug 16, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Cleveland Browns quarterback Dillon Gabriel (5) snaps the ball against the Philadelphia Eagles during the first quarter at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

The Cleveland Browns officially moved to 2-0 on the 2025 NFL preseason, after handily beating the reigning Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles, 22-13. The final score is never the most important takeaway from these exhibition games, though. While all preseason performances have to be taken with a grain of salt, there was plenty to learn from the Browns' win.

Third-round pick Dillon Gabriel got the start for Cleveland, with fellow quarterbacks Shedeur Sanders and Kenny Pickett still sidelined with injuries and presumed Week 1 starter Joe Flacco saving his arm for the regular season. Gabriel's performance was a bit of a mixed bag. He played the entirety of the first half, finishing with 13-of-18 passing for 143 yards and a 72.2 QB rating after leading the Browns on three scoring drives. However, he didn't find the end zone himself, threw a pick on a broken play, and fumbled away a handoff.

This start against the Eagles was a chance for Gabriel to even the score against fifth-round pick Shedeur Sanders, who was Cleveland's QB1 in their first preseason outing against the Carolina Panthers. Gabriel was still nursing a hamstring injury that night and could only watch from the sidelines while Sanders threw for 138 yards and two touchdowns on 14-of-23 passing. Following the game, Dillon Gabriel was given a hot mic and seemingly took a shot at his fellow rookie quarterback.

Cleveland Browns quarterback Dillon Gabriel (5) throws as quarterback Shedeur Sanders (12) looks on 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

Did Dillon Gabriel diss Shedeur Sanders after the Browns' preseason win over the Eagles?

Following his first preseason action, Gabriel was immediately interviewed after the game. Still feeling the adrenaline from his night and the Cleveland Browns' win over the Philadelphia Eagles, he didn't hold back when asked about how he deals with media criticism:

"There's entertainers and there's competitors, and I totally understand that, and my job is to compete."

"There's entertainers and there's competitors... my job is to compete."@_dillongabriel_ is focused in. pic.twitter.com/FyjcztPPlF

— NFL (@NFL) August 16, 2025

Some people read that as a shot against Shedeur Sanders, who's equally known for his personality as he is for his on-field abilities. Analyst John Frascella was among them, who posted Gabriel's interview clip on X with the caption:

"Such a bull**** interview from Dillon Gabriel… this is truly disgraceful, he should be ashamed of himself… taking shots at Shedeur Sanders, your own teammate??? This is lower than low, Browns should cut Gabriel for shading a teammate to the media"

Gabriel would go on to clarify his soundbite in the postgame press conference, reasserting that his answer was strictly about the media drumming up narratives and not meant to disrespect his teammate in any way.