Joe Flacco is the starting quarterback in Cleveland, but Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders are still duking it out to be his backup. Both rookies have gotten their chances, with Sanders starting the first preseason game against the Carolina Panthers and Gabriel getting his start against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Flacco made his first preseason appearance against the Rams in the first quarter. After going three-and-out on his first drive, Flacco led a seven-play 44-yard touchdown drive punctuated by Flacco’s 15-yard scoring pass to Harold Fannnin Jr. to put them up 7-0.
Flacco played one more series before giving way to Gabriel, who took over with 10:43 remaining in the second quarter.
How Has Gabriel Fared in His Second Preseason Appearance?
Gabriel completed three of eight passes on his first drive, but led the Browns on a 70-yard drive that culminated in a 28-yard field goal by Dustin Hopkins to put the Browns up 10-0.
The Rams countered on their following drive, rolling 67 yards to score a touchdown on Dresser Winn’s one-yard pass to Drake Stoops, cutting the lead to 10-7.
The Rams’ kickoff pinned the Browns on their own 14-yard line. Gabriel took over and ran the two-minute drill, completing five of his first six passes to get the Browns just outside the Rams’ red zone at the 23-yard line.
Dillon Gabriel during 2-minute drill at end of 1st half:
9-of-11
86 passing yards
1 TDpic.twitter.com/2aVfUD2qht— Underdog NFL (@UnderdogNFL) August 23, 2025
Once there, he missed a downfield pass and executed a nice screen pass to Trayveon Williams, but the Rams defense stuffed it for only a four-yard gain.
The Browns took their third timeout on third and seven, and Gabriel lofted a pretty pass to the sideline, where Jamari Thrash made a nice catch to put them on the Rams ‘ 3-yard line.
Gabriel finished the 11-play, 86-yard drive with a touchdown pass to a wide-open Gage Larvadain to put the Browns up 16-7. Hopkins missed the PAT.
After the half, Sheduer Sanders entered the game as the Browns’ quarterback.
What Does Gabriel’s Performance Say About His Roster Position?
It can only help his case to be the Browns’ backup quarterback and the first in line to take over as the starter should Joe Flacco stumble out of the gate or get injured down the line.
His first drive was a little shaky, but ended with points. His two-minute drill was quick, decisive, and pretty clutch as he came through on a critical third down and took the easy look on the touchdown pass.
Against the Rams, the Oregon product completed 12/19 of his throws for 129 yards, a touchdown, and no turnovers. Gabriel put up a strong performance in a pressure situation if nothing else.
