The Cleveland Browns are 2-6 and sitting at the bottom of the struggling AFC North, with their playoff hopes hanging by a thread. The offensive issues that have haunted them all season continue to linger. Moving on from Joe Flacco to Dillon Gabriel has not done any justice to the Browns. Instead, the Browns are 1-3 with Gabriel as QB1. While the rookie QB has a lot of areas to improve, his throwing has been the biggest concern, probably because of his height. Yet, head coach Kevin Stefanski isn’t buying into that narrative.

“I understand the question, but I would not characterize it that way,” Stefanski told Browns reporter Tony Grossi when asked if Gabriel’s height was the reason why Gabriel didn’t throw as much to the wide receivers as he should. “We need to play better as an offense. Certainly, there’s areas to improve for a young quarterback.”

Now, it is odd but not surprising. The 5 ft 11 QB has been dealing with this question for a while now. And it was only right that the coach addressed it and perhaps finally shut it down.

Some even believe that his height was the reason he was selected in the third round. Though it isn’t confirmed, many felt that he might have been a first-round pick if he stood above 6’3”. During The Top Dawgs Show on the BIGPLAY Sports Network, the former Browns player Phil Taylor addressed whether Gabriel is the right piece for the team.

“He’s not standing in that pocket completing passes,” Taylor said.

He further added that the team has to move the pocket for Gabriel to see. Josh Cribbs agreed with him. However, the Browns QB’s college stats tell a different story. Gabriel is tied with quarterback Case Keenum for the most touchdowns thrown in a college career at 155. He also holds the second-most passing yards in college history.

Now, questions about a quarterback’s height are often dismissed after the success of players like Drew Brees (6’0″), Russell Wilson (5’11”), and Fran Tarkenton (6’0″). None of them fit the average quarterback height of 6’2” to 6’3”, yet their vision and playmaking abilities were impressive. But the debate never ends.

The questions about Gabriel’s height continue to cause a stir after Shilo Sanders seemingly mocked the QB.

Did Shilo Sanders throw shade at Dillion Gabriel’s height?

Recently, backup quarterback Shedeur Sanders’ brother, Shilo, appeared on a livestream with streamer and producer PlaqueboyMax during their visit to ComplexCon in Las Vegas. During the stream, Max asked Shilo if he could make it to the NFL. In response, Sanders compared their heights. While Max stood shorter beside him, Sanders said he was “NFL size.”

When Max asked if that meant he was “little”, and went on to ask if he could play as a QB. “You are Dillon Gabriel’s size,” he said. Did he try to call out the QB’s height and the recent buzz over it? Not sure.

Now, be it height issues or not, the QB will indeed need to improve this season. He had a great start in the 21-17 loss to the Minnesota Vikings, racking up two touchdowns and no interceptions.

But the same can’t be said about his current game. In their 32-13 loss to the New England Patriots, he went 21-for-35 with two interceptions and 156 passing yards. He is averaging 117 yards per game with a rating of 78.2. However, the coach has been confident about the player.

Do you think Gabriel will prove his naysayers wrong?