With Cleveland sitting at 2-6 heading into its bye week following a 32-13 loss to New England, their quarterback situation remains the center of the debate. Dillon Gabriel has completed four starts for Cleveland and hasn’t given anyone much reason to feel confident, while backup Shedeur Sanders watches from the sidelines, dealing with a back injury that forced him to miss Week 8.​​

Sanders was pretty clear about his bye week plans during a Twitch livestream on Wednesday night, saying he would skip Colorado’s homecoming game and stay put in Cleveland. Instead of heading home to see his dad, Colorado coach Deion Sanders, Shedeur posted a training facility photo on Instagram showing him locked in at work during the bye week.

The image from the Browns facility shows Sanders taking his commitment seriously. The team’s banners were hanging above as he put in the work during Cleveland’s off week, when most NFL players take time away from the grind.

This is Sanders acting directly on what he announced just days before. He is staying true to his word about getting ready.​​ When asked if he’d head to Boulder to see his old school play Arizona on Saturday, Sanders didn’t hesitate with his answer.​​

“I’m not coming to CU homecoming. I can’t make it out there. I wish I could though, but just can’t happen. I got treatment out here. I gotta get ready, big ready,” Sanders said during the livestream.

The timing of this decision matters because Gabriel’s performance has been getting worse, not better. In Sunday’s game against New England, Gabriel threw 156 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions. He now holds a QBR of 25.5, which ranks last in the entire NFL.

Bleacher Report analyst Brent Sobleski gave Gabriel a “D” grade for his performance. He noted that the third-round pick threw for fewer than 200 yards in three of his four starts. However, head coach Kevin Stefanski made his feelings clear this week when asked about the quarterback situation. When asked directly about Sanders, he responded with some frustration about the constant questions surrounding the backup.

“The focus is where we are right now,” Stefanski told reporter Mary Kay Cabot, making it clear he wasn’t interested in discussing Sanders’ potential role moving forward.

Still, that response didn’t stop the speculation because Gabriel’s poor play raises concerns over what comes next.​

Dillon Gabriel’s struggles fuel calls for Shedeur Sanders

Cleveland Browns insider Daryl Ruiter didn’t try to sugarcoat anything when it came to rookie quarterback Dillon Gabriel.

Putting it plain and clear, Ruiter said, “When Kevin (Stefanski) keeps talking about it’s not just about one player, it’s about all of us,” Ruiter said. “Well, then, ok, what are you doing to make that player better? Because I kind of feel like Dillon Gabriel has gotten worse as the starts have gone. His best start was actually in London against the Vikings. He doesn’t stretch the field, he doesn’t elevate players.”

It all started when Joe Flacco was benched after a rough 1-3 record at the beginning of the season. This gave Gabriel a chance to lead the team in Week 5 against the Vikings in London. Gabriel completed 19 of his 33 passing attempts and threw 2 passing touchdowns. He totaled 190 yards, but the Browns still lost, 21-17. Any glimmers of progress have been hard to spot since then.

The Browns did smash the Miami Dolphins 31-6, and while that scoreline sounds impressive, Gabriel had a QBR of 22.8. He didn’t throw a single touchdown. Fast-forward to Week 8, and things only seemed to unravel further.

All this has stirred up frustration among Browns fans, who have waited years for a quarterback they could believe in. So, the question everyone’s thinking about is, how much longer will Cleveland stick with Dillon Gabriel?