When Kenny Pickett limped off the field this past week, sustaining a hamstring injury, the typical dominoes started to drop. A seasoned starter with a lower-body injury in early August typically triggers a chain reaction throughout the quarterback room, particularly for a team actively developing its future. This time, that future was supposed to include Shedeur Sanders. And yet, while one veteran went down, the ripple effect never came to Sanders. Not that he lacked the tools. But that someone else beat him to it before it even had a chance to get to him.
The Browns will miss Pickett for the Hall of Fame Game and maybe longer, but instead of promoting Shedeur Sanders to the backup limelight, 24-year-old Dillon Gabriel is the quarterback getting attention and seeing real reps. As 92.3 The Fan’s reports indicate, there’s not much sign that Sanders will even get on the field with the first-team unit.
‘‘I feel like they’re preparing Dillon Gabriel to play more than they’re preparing Shedeur to play,” Ruiter mentioned. “I have no indications that (Shedeur’s) going to get (reps with the first team).” The development has surprised people, particularly with the early preseason expectation that Shedeur, one of the most heralded rookies and son of Deion Sanders, would be expedited to developmental opportunities.
“I feel like they’re preparing Dillon Gabriel to play more than they’re preparing Shedeur to play. I have no indications that (Shedeur’s) going to get (reps with the first team).”
@RuiterWrongFAN w/ @VulinecJake on #Browns rookie QBs
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— 92.3 The Fan (@923TheFan) July 30, 2025
Instead, Gabriel, a lefty with a strong résumé from Oklahoma and UCF, is making the most of his window. While Sanders continues to adjust to the speed and complexity of the NFL, Gabriel has been crisp in 7-on-7s and fluid during team drills. He also brings far more collegiate experience to the table: 49 career starts, over 14,000 passing yards, and a reputation for command at the line of scrimmage. More notably, he’s acclimated to the Browns’ scheme with new O-line coach Mike Bloomgren seamlessly, revealing an eagerness that aligns with Cleveland’s short-term depth requirements.
In contrast, Shedeur remains in catch-up mode. While he’s impressed in fleeting glimpses, most notably in early July walkthroughs, he’s yet to regularly stretch the football downfield or appear fully at ease calling protections at the NFL level. That’s not unexpected for a rookie who operated a streamlined system at the college level. But what does it mean? At least for now, Pickett’s injury hasn’t left Sanders in the doorway as many anticipated. Sanders’ final college season, a 4134-yard, 37-touchdown senior year at Colorado, displayed promise. But converting that to pro tempos and schemes requires patience. As it stands, the Browns appear intent on a slower ramp-up, with Gabriel—older, quicker on reads, and more experienced in high-pressure spots being viewed as the more game-ready option for now.
Dillon Gabriel reshapes the Browns’ QB depth chart, not Shedeur Sanders
Gabriel’s preseason emergence is more than just a hot camp streak. It’s beginning to redefine how the Browns structure their quarterback pipeline. Neither Pickett nor Deshaun Watson is anticipated to be pushed back into contact situations. Gabriel has seized every opportunity made available to him. The coaches have noticed, and Gabriel has been given increased access to the playbook and more second-team reps.
NFL, American Football Herren, USA Cleveland Browns Rookie Minicamp May 10, 2025 Berea, OH, USA Cleveland Browns quarterback Dillon Gabriel 5 talks to the media during rookie minicamp at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus. Berea CrossCountry Mortgage Campus OH USA, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xKenxBlazex 20250510_kab_bk4_019
It’s not merely about reps, it’s about trust. Coaches have been loud, if quietly, about his leadership style and method. It’s that composure that’s driven Gabriel ahead of Sanders in early games. As Shedeur remains in the stage of learning not to try to make a throw when he doesn’t need to. Gabriel is already ahead of him by two steps, reading defenses, making adjustments on protection, and building confidence within teammates.
For Shedeur, that does not equate to a gloomy long-term prognosis. The Browns brought him aboard for his ceiling, leadership lineage, and athletic ability. But short term, the depth chart is solidifying with Gabriel firmly in the lead. The team views Sanders as a project—priceless, but needing NFL contact beyond a behind-the-pads drill. With few reps to be had in the preseason, Cleveland might decide to provide Gabriel the bulk of Hall of Fame Game snaps. Possibly delaying Sanders’ debut to near the tail end of the exhibition schedule. That would be a bitter pill for the Sanders fans to swallow, as they had hoped to see him sooner. But as it stands currently with the QB room, Shedeur is looking up at not one, but two names.
For now, the job behind Deshaun Watson is far from settled. But what’s become clear is this: Kenny Pickett’s absence didn’t create opportunity for Shedeur Sanders; it spotlighted Dillon Gabriel.
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