Shedeur Sanders’ NFL debut for the Cleveland Browns will have to wait at least another week.
Following rookie Dillon Gabriel and the Browns’ disappointing performance in a 27-20 defeat to the New York Jets on Sunday, head coach Kevin Stefanski announced he won’t be switching quarterbacks before Cleveland faces Baltimore next week.
Meanwhile, a ridiculous Jets trade suggestion before the game left Terry Bradshaw and Michael Strahan laughing.
“We’re going to stick with Dillon,” Stefanski declared. “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.”
Gabriel, selected in the third round from Oregon back in April, now sits at 1-4 as Cleveland’s starting quarterback since replacing Joe Flacco. He completed 17 of 32 passes for 167 yards and two touchdowns, but took six sacks.
He also rushed for 54 yards on five attempts, with the majority of that yardage coming in garbage time as the Jets held a 10-point advantage and focused on preventing big plays.
“In certain moments, we didn’t execute and that starts with me,” Gabriel admitted. “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.”
The Browns managed just 278 yards of total offense in their first outing since Stefanski handed play-calling duties to offensive coordinator Tommy Rees, hoping it would spark the struggling unit.
“Like I told you guys, I have total trust in Tommy,” Stefanski emphasized. “Obviously, we fell short as a team. We’ll just continue to try and find ways to put our guys in position.”
But the ongoing difficulties have sparked speculation about whether it’s time to give Sanders a shot – the son of Pro Football Hall of Fame legend Deion Sanders who tumbled to the fifth round this year despite once being viewed as a potential top selection.
Sanders hasn’t stepped onto the field for a regular-season game yet, but recently earned a promotion to become the Browns’ backup quarterback behind Dillon.
“When things aren’t going well, there is always going to be change because to keep doing the same thing and don’t change anything is insanity,” Gabriel said. “I feel like at times there are things that went well, that we sustained and executed.”
