Despite the Cleveland Browns falling to 2-6 following a 32-13 loss to the New England Patriots on Sunday, head coach Kevin Stefanski confirmed that Dillon Gabriel will remain the starting quarterback moving forward.

Against the Patriots, Gabriel had another rough outing. He completed 21 of 35 passes for just 156 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions. Meanwhile, Shedeur Sanders, the fifth-round rookie who had been serving as backup, was ruled inactive before the game due to a back injury.

In a postgame conference, Stefanski was asked during a 92.3 The Fan podcast interview with Mary Kay Cabot whether he’d consider giving Sanders game reps just to see if a change could spark the offense.

Stefanski’s response was telling. “Yeah, obviously my focus is where we are right now,” he said when pressed on potentially inserting Sanders into action. “That’s not my focus.” The comment made clear that any thoughts of Sanders getting a chance are off the table for now.

This comes as shocking for fans since Shedeur Sanders had made a memorable impression during his NFL preseason debut against the Carolina Panthers in August. He completed 14 of 23 passes for 138 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions. This showcased just how confident and accurate he looked for the Browns.

However, the second preseason appearance told a different story when he took on the Los Angeles Rams in Week 3. He finished with just 3 completions on 6 attempts for 14 yards and no touchdowns. Sanders was sacked five times and had one fumble. He was later swapped for Tyler Huntley, who led a last-second winning drive.​

The contrast between his two outings, from a glowing debut against Carolina to a rocky finish versus the Rams, gave everyone a look at both his potential and the growing pains he’s still working through.

Still, many Brown supporters still believe that getting Sanders some regular season reps makes sense given Gabriel’s continued struggles and the team’s inability to find any offensive rhythm.

Kevin Stefanski appears stuck defending Dillion Gabriel

Dillion Gabriel currently ranks last among qualifying NFL passers in yards per attempt at just 4.9. His Total QBR of 25.8 sits only ahead of Tennessee Titans rookie Cam Ward. This highlights how challenging his early NFL experience has been.

But it’s not just Gabriel facing struggles; the entire Cleveland Browns offense has had trouble finding consistency this year. Kevin Stefanski openly expressed his frustration with the Browns’ inability to consistently get the football to Jerry Jeudy.

In a recent conference, Stefanski said, “I’m frustrated with that loss. I’m frustrated that we don’t get the ball to Jerry, our best wide receiver. Um, in that game and throughout that game. Now, are there always reasons for those types of things? Sure, but it’s not lost on me that Jerry’s our best player at that position. And we have to get him the ball. And that goes back to the earlier comment.”

Stefanski also added, “We talked about just making sure we have our guys in the right positions, you know, whether it’s, you know, where they’re playing on the formation, the routes we’re asking the run, etc., etc.”

Jeudy’s recent production shows just how much he’s been missing from the game plan. Against the Patriots most recently, Jeudy didn’t register a single catch or yard. The Browns will need to address these issues before they move on to week 10 to face the Jets, who are now 1-7 after defeating the Bengals on Sunday.