
All eyes were on Cleveland Browns rookie quarterback Dillon Gabriel, who was given the limelight and the start on Saturday with Shedeur Sanders sidelined with an oblique injury in the team’s preseason matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles.
After Gabriel was pulled at halftime, he made a comment in a mid-game interview that went viral on social media.
“There’s entertainers, and there’s competitors… my job is to compete,” Gabriel said during the game broadcast, which many fans viewed as a veiled shot at Sanders.
After the game, Gabriel clarified what he meant, referring to the media as entertainers.
“I’m all about our team. I would never make that (comment),” Gabriel said, per Cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot. “For me, I’ve explained it, entertainers are you all (media). Competitors, that’s what I am, and all my teammates, and we all have jobs to do.”
#Browns Dillon Gabriel clarifies he meant the media are the entertainers and he’s a competitor and that he wasn’t taking a shot at Shedeur Sanders: “I’m all about the team” pic.twitter.com/I4EVCVmmxR
— Mary Kay Cabot (@MaryKayCabot) August 16, 2025
Gabriel and Sanders are buried on the Browns’ quarterback depth chart behind presumed starter Joe Flacco and veteran Kenny Pickett.
However, injuries have thrust both rookies into plenty of playing time this preseason.

Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images
With Gabriel out with a hamstring injury, Sanders threw for 138 yards passing and two touchdowns in a 30-10 win over the Carolina Panthers last week.
Read more: Did Dillon Gabriel Do Better Than Shedeur Sanders in Browns Debut?
Gabriel didn’t quite shine like Sanders did in his start in the first game of the preseason. He turned the ball over twice, including a pick-six. Gabriel completed 13 of 18 pass attempts for 143 yards an interception and a fumble on a muffed handoff before Tyler Huntley closed the game in the final half.
The Browns went on to win the game 22-13 over the Eagles to improve to 2-0 in the preseason.
Overall, both rookies have shown more poise than their first-year status suggests. However, Flacco remains atop the depth chart, and the quarterback room is crowded with two weeks before final roster cuts.
Gabriel and Sanders have made cases that they have a future with the team, while former Pittsburgh Steelers first-round pick Kenny Pickett has missed a majority of Browns training camp with a hamstring injury.
Read more: Browns Urged to Cut Shocking Quarterback in Big Training Camp Move
Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski wasn’t ready to give either rookie the edge with one more preseason game left for them to prove their worth.
“I’m not going to compare our players,” Stefanski said after the game. “I’m pleased with both of those guys, where they’re at in their progression. They have the mentality that they’re going to get better every single day, which I appreciate.”
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