Wednesday was a tough day to be Cleveland Browns’ quarterback Dillon Gabriel.
First, Cleveland’s newest addition to their roster, Jared Verse, was given his number, No. 8, and they went to practice today both wearing it. That is not the standard operating procedure in an NFL team, but it was the reality of practice on Wednesday.
Then, it got much worse for the young quarterback.
In head coach Todd Monken’s post-practice media availability, he was asked about the quarterback situation, and he said, “(We’ve) got two starting-level quarterbacks.” The obvious odd man out in this comment is Gabriel.
The majority of the reps for the Browns have gone to Shedeur Sanders and Deshaun Watson, while Gabriel cleans up the scraps with the third team. Monken does seem to be a loose cannon when there is a microphone in front of his face, and this is no different.
In the days of the past, something like this would never have been said, vague answers would have been given, and fans would have been questioning. There will be none of that with Monken as he wastes no time and tells it like it is.
Now, back to Gabriel.
This is a tough thing to hear your head coach say, but the writing is all over the wall for Gabriel. He was very clearly heavily influenced by former head coach Kevin Stefanski, and when he had his opportunities last year, he looked like he simply lacked the tools to be successful on the field.
He finished the year starting six games while appearing in 10 total games. His record was 1-5, but had the defense stopped Carson Wentz in London, and the special teams stopped two kick returns, that win-loss could be 3-3.
He had a completion percentage of south of 60 percent at 59.5 percent with 937 yards, seven touchdowns to just two interceptions. He had a passer rating of 80.4 and a quarterback rating of 31.4, both on the wrong side of good.
The hope for Gabriel is for this year to prove that he can be a competent and reliable backup in this league. Whether that comes in Cleveland or elsewhere is yet to be determined. Although after today, it does feel like it will likely be elsewhere in the league.
Get ready for a season of Deshaun Watson, Shedeur Sanders, and Taylen Green.
This article originally appeared on Browns Wire: Browns’ head coach Todd Monken drops tough reality for Dillon Gabriel
Reporting by Anthony Moeglin, Browns Wire / Browns Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Anthony Moeglin, Browns Wire | USA TODAY Network
