The quarterback story doesn’t have an end for the Cleveland Browns, almost exactly like last season. Shedeur Sanders and Deshaun Watson split the first-team reps all offseason, right alongside the headlines this time around. Through it all, Dillon Gabriel was unable to garner a lot of attention, and one former NFL scout is now saying the QB debate is missing the real player in this room.

“People keep disrespecting Dillon Gabriel (59.5%) without even realizing he was more accurate than Caleb Williams (58.1%) and Shedeur Sanders (56.6%) last season,” former New York Jets scout Daniel Kelly wrote on X.

While that’s a solid argument for accuracy, it doesn’t tell the whole story. Caleb Williams started all 17 games for the Chicago Bears and took his team to the postseason with an 11-6 record. Sanders started 7 games, went 3-4 as a starter, and logged a 7:10 touchdown/interception ratio. Gabriel, meanwhile, had a better 7:2 TD: INT ratio, but went 1-5 as a starter. He got criticized for having limited mobility and not taking risks on deep balls; accuracy was never the problem.

None of this means the team forgot about him, though. Back in February, General Manager Andrew Berry had made it clear that Gabriel was still part of his plans.

“He may be forgotten externally, but he’s not forgotten to us,” Berry said. “Look, Dillon, he’s working. He’s going to handle everything that’s within his control, and we love all of our players and our home roster. Dillon’s a guy that has a bright future in this league.”

But Gabriel didn’t report for early offseason voluntary programs, and Sanders made an impression on new head coach Todd Monken right out of the gate. That early gap gave Sanders momentum before OTAs even started. Even then, Browns insider Mary Kay Cabot was speaking highly of Gabriel in April, noting that he’s “wired differently than most quarterbacks.”

“When the Browns drafted him, the biggest selling point wasn’t his arm or his mobility; it was his brain,” Cabot said. “Gabriel is a film junkie with elite processing speed, the kind of guy who thrives in meeting rooms and on whiteboards before he ever steps into the field.”

It wasn’t enough. The OTAs and minicamp passed by, tangled in the quarterback competition between Sanders and Watson, the biggest headline around Gabriel wasn’t even about playing football.

Gabriel gave up his No. 8 jersey to the newly acquired pass rusher Jared Verse. Gabriel wore the number at Oklahoma for two seasons, and Verse took it after a blockbuster trade brought him to Cleveland from the Los Angeles Rams. Gabriel has switched to No. 6 since then.

That skip on Gabriel is the problem. Sanders is getting headline attention for his legitimate offseason growth, but Gabriel’s accuracy and processing from 2025 aren’t factors in the debate. Did Todd Monken look at all the tapes from last season and decide Sanders simply has more upside over a quarterback they drafted earlier? The way this offseason has unfolded for Sanders, it certainly looks that way.

Shedeur Sanders’ offseason spotlight

Last offseason, the biggest narratives were about whether Sanders deserved a chance to start games in his rookie season. He didn’t get first-team reps and got pushed onto the field with no expectations. The team wasn’t familiar with his cadence; he got sacked 23 times and threw 10 picks, but he still put up a fight. That mindset showed up this offseason in a big way.

On the first day of the mandatory minicamps, Sanders got all the first-team reps. Day 2 was for evaluating how Deshaun Watson fares with the first team, and coach Monken split the reps between them on the final day. Once the dust settled, Shedeur had left coach Monken impressed with his progress.

“Did a better job, I think he’s being more decisive,” Monken said. “Now, it’s easy to say we’re not in pads. It just feels like he’s making quicker decisions. The ball’s coming out of his hands, which he’s gonna have to do. Not that he doesn’t have playmaking ability, cause he does. But his ability to process quicker and get the ball out of his hands and eliminate lost yards is gonna be huge for us to be able to stack plays and score, which is ultimately the number one thing.”

Sanders went 79-of-113 with five touchdowns and three picks throughout this offseason. Watson’s numbers are slightly better (90-of-113 with 13 TDs and three picks), but Sanders’ mentality has caught the eyes of his coaches.

“In the past 10 or 12 weeks or whatever it’s been,” QB coach Mike Bajakan said, “he’s done a great job of defining his footwork, playing with a base, learning the offense, working his bu** off to really master his craft, and it has been fun to watch. – He’s getting through progressions faster, and his feet are matching his mindset.”

Even veteran Browns insider Mary Kay Cabot has sensed a “paradigm shift” in the Browns building. She believes Sanders has “seized the momentum” with his performance in the mandatory minicamps.

The Browns haven’t named a starter yet as they wait for the training camps. Sanders has the stock, and his only real competition right now is Deshaun Watson. Newly acquired 6th rounder Taylen Green adds a developmental upside that makes things even harder for Dillon Gabriel in the meantime. Right now, the QB1 race feels like Sanders’ to lose, and Gabriel might just have to spend the whole season studying film.