Browns QB Dillon Gabriel 'looks like he's been doing it for years' ahead of first start, says Myles Garrett
Gabriel is gearing up for his first professional start against the Minnesota Vikings
By
Will Backus
•
1 min read
Cleveland Browns quarterback Dillon Gabriel is gearing up for his first career start against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 5 in London. That means he's had a week to practice against Cleveland's first-team defense, led by star edge rusher Myles Garrett.
Garrett has been impressed with what he's seen from the rookie signal caller thus far.
"He runs the offense like this is his offense, and that's all you can ask for from any quarterback," Garrett said Friday. "He comes out, smile on his face, chest out, gives the call and he looks like he's been doing it for years, the way he manages the offense. I'm looking for him to do the same thing on Sunday."
Cleveland benched veteran Joe Flacco and turned to Gabriel, a third round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, amid a 1-3 start to the season. The Browns have yet to score more than 17 points in a single game this season, and Flacco ranks last in the NFL in passer rating (60.3) and completion rate (58.1%).
Gabriel made his professional debut in a Sept. 14 loss to the Baltimore Ravens and briefly came off the bench in Cleveland's last game against the Detroit Lions. Gabriel completed all three of his pass attempts for 19 yards and one touchdown while suiting up in Baltimore.
Though he's obviously short on NFL experienced, Gabriel entered April's draft as one of college football's most well-seasoned quarterbacks. He started 25 games at UCF from 2019-21, 24 games at Oklahoma from 2022-23 and 14 games at Oregon in 2024.
In his lone season with the Ducks, he earned a spot as a Heisman Trophy finalist after throwing for 3,857 yards and 30 touchdowns. He led Oregon to a Big Ten title in its first season with the conference and an appearance in the College Football Playoff as the top overall seed.
"He just has a youthful exuberance," Garrett said. "He brings just a different vibe, different attitude ... Looking forward to seeing how he moves around the pocket and how he plays the game. This will be a different pace than what he's been used to."
