How Dillon Gabriel stacks up against Cam Ward through five starts

Cam Ward was the number one overall pick this past NFL Draft as the quarterback was selected by the Tennessee Titans. Ward spent his last year in Miami, where he passed for over 4,300 yards and 39 touchdowns. Tennessee was in real need of a quarterback, and Ward has filled that void.

Dillon Gabriel was selected in the third round by another quarterback-needy team in the Cleveland Browns, and while not initially starting for the Browns, he got his chance in Week 5. While many Browns fans are not happy with Gabriel’s output so far, it may be because of his situation.

If there wasn’t another rookie quarterback waiting for his chance sitting behind Gabriel, what do you think most Browns fans would think? That may be the situation in Tennessee with their first overall pick.

Cam Ward & Dillon Gabriel (first 5 starts)#TitanUp | #DawgPound

Ward (1-4) Gabriel (1-4)
Yards 879 869
Comp% 52% 58%
Comp/Att 85/164 102/174… pic.twitter.com/hkkLEVoVeM
— Tommy Callahan (@yalltitanup) November 12, 2025

As through both quarterbacks' first five starts of the season, the stats seem eerily similar. Ward with just a few more yards while Gabriel has a better completion percentage. All of these stats come with the caveat that the drops for both teams have ranked among the highest in the NFL.

Gabriel with five more touchdowns than Ward, which still holds up today, as Ward has thrown for five touchdowns total in his nine starts. Ward has turned the ball over more times, with one more interception and two fumbles lost.

Extending the ball down the field is still where Gabriel has struggled, as you can see that Ward has more 20+ yard passes, 30+, and 40+.

Now, the sample size and team around them are factors that cannot be ignored, as you could pick any set of games and compare the stats. But these are each quarterback’s first five starts as a professional, not just random games.

In the past four games, Ward has passed for 881 yards for an average of 220 yards per game, three touchdown passes, and three interceptions. Ward has also been sacked 19 times in those four games.

The point is, do you see many Titans fans saying that Cam Ward needs to be benched or calling for his job? Titans fans understand that the team is not set up for Ward to succeed right now, and with Brian Callahan getting fired, they are still looking for a head coach to pair with Ward.

Gabriel seems to be in a similar position: the Browns' defense has outperformed the Titans', and with a future Hall of Famer in Myles Garrett, the pressure to win grows.

We will see how the rest of the season plays out, but for now, the stats are comparable.