The Cleveland Browns left Pittsburgh with more than just a fifth loss on their record. Their 23-9 defeat to the Steelers felt like a repeat of every frustration that’s shadowed this offense all season. Stalled drives, missed chances, failing to score more than 17 points for the 11th straight game, and head coach Kevin Stefanski’s decisions that refused to click when it mattered most. And by the time the fourth quarter rolled in, one particular choice from Stefanski summed up everything that had gone wrong.

While there were plenty of reasons behind the offensive struggles, one glaring factor stands out: Not being able to contain the Steelers’ WR1, DK Metcalf. And the reason was clear on film. Instead of letting Denzel Ward shadow Metcalf, the Browns relied on Tyson Campbell, who was making his team debut after a trade from the Jacksonville Jaguars. It was a difficult spot for a player who hadn’t even been in Cleveland a full week, but was thrust into heavy coverage. The Steelers attacked Campbell immediately, testing him on virtually every snap, which left both him and Browns defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz in a challenging position.

The numbers told the rest of the story. Campbell allowed the veteran wideout to grab three receptions on six targets for 70 yards and a touchdown. But that wasn’t the case with Ward, who didn’t give up a reception to Metcalf on a couple of targets. But in the process, Metcalf walked out of Acrisure Stadium with 4 receptions for 95 yards and one touchdown. Campbell wasn’t all bad, either. On his very first play as a Brown, he forced a fumble by punching the ball out of tight end Darnell Washington’s hands, finishing with five tackles and two pass breakups. When asked about Campbell’s first game and whether Ward should’ve shadowed Metcalf more, Stefanski said:

“I thought Tyson did a good job considering when he got on campus. Got him up to speed. Obviously, they have a great player over there, made a play. But really was pleased with how he was able to get up to speed in this game.” But, long story short: Stefanski and the Browns made a couple of roster moves ahead of Week 6, including Campbell’s trade. Cleveland acquired the 25-year-old corner from Jacksonville, along with a 2026 seventh-round pick, in exchange for Greg Newsome II and a 2026 sixth-round pick.

The move was largely a financial one; Campbell’s contract runs through 2028, while Newsome was in the final year of his rookie deal, playing on a $13.3 million fifth-year option. The Jaguars, who run more zone under coordinator Anthony Campanile, saw Newsome as a better schematic fit, while the Browns believed Campbell could adapt to Jim Schwartz’s man-heavy system. The emotional toll of the trade, though, Ward admitted he “shed some tears” for Newsome, calling him a brother. The duo had been together for five seasons, and when healthy, they were one of the AFC’s best corner tandems.

The overall passing game of the Pittsburgh Steelers was efficient on Sunday, tallying 235 yards through the air. The rushing attack? Same story. The Steelers put up 100 rushing yards, with Jaylen Warren leading the run game with 52 yards on 11 carries. And at the heart of it was Stefanski’s trade decision and yes, Dillon Gabriel‘s not-so-sharp performance that included getting hit 16 times and sacked repeatedly.

Kevin Stefanski didn’t consider playing Shedeur Sanders

Kevin Stefanski and the Browns have seen two weeks of Dillon Gabriel. The third rounder has yet to win an NFL game, and his mixed outing against the Steelers in Week 6 raised a question: Could the Browns have opted to play Shedeur Sanders late in the game when Gabriel was taking a beating?

As per Ralph Vacchiano of Fox Sports, Stefanski had no plans to play Sanders on Sunday. “Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said he did not consider putting backup QB Shedeur Sanders in today’s game, even though starter Dillon Gabriel was taking a beating and the Browns were out of it late,” the analyst wrote.

In an ugly loss, Gabriel completed 29-of-52 passes for 221 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions. It was only his second start, but with the Browns sitting at 1-5, the question practically asks itself: How far can they really go with Gabriel under center? But, asked about his young quarterback’s struggles, Stefanski spoke of the rookie’s toughness: “He’s a tough kid. We got to keep him clean. Obviously when the game turned into a two-score game you’ve got to drop back, and that’s a tough team to drop back versus. He kept battling. It wasn’t for lack of effort by him or anybody. He made some plays. But we’ve just got to be better.”

Stefanski had already made a change when it came to the quarterbacking. He benched Joe Flacco for Gabriel. Then Flacco shipped off to Cincinnati, leading Shedeur to get the QB2 job. But if Gabriel’s struggles persist, expect the Colorado Buffaloes’ product to start at some point in the season.