Browns offensive coordinator Tommy Rees said Dillon Gabriel's time has come to take over as starting QB. (TheLandOnDemand)
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Editor's note: Tony Grossi is a Cleveland Browns and NFL analyst for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland. He has covered the Browns since 1984.
LONDON
Energy and juice.
That’s what rookie quarterback Dillon Gabriel wants to bring to the stagnant Browns’ offense when he replaces Joe Flacco Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings. Gabriel will be the 41st quarterback to start a game in the team’s expansion era, and 12th under coach Kevin Stefanski in six years.
So how does he bring the energy, bring the juice?
“I think he just is himself,” offensive coordinator Tommy Rees said from The Grove, the team’s luxurious headquarters compound in the London countryside some 17 miles outside the city. “You know, I think he’s got a calmness to him, a real true confidence to his personality and his ability that I think guys have fed off of since he’s been here. So, doesn’t look like he needs to step far outside of who he is to do that for our guys.”
Rees echoed Stefanski in saying the offense’s problems go beyond the position of quarterback. But they can’t replace the other players dropping passes, running wrong routes and getting beat at the line of scrimmage. So, they’re “really looking at it as a way to spark the offense and get things going.”
“[We] felt like it was the right time for it,” Rees said. “He’s put in a lot of work to put himself ready to play, so guys have rallied around him. We’ve all got to do our part to help elevate the play of the quarterback and get the quarterback playing well. So, I know Dillon’s been chomping at the bit, and Joe has been there every step of the way to help support him through this process and get him ready on this week here in London and getting ready to play Minnesota.”
When a change like this is made – from popular veteran quarterback to unproven rookie – some veteran players can resent it and feel like the organization is throwing in the towel. But guard Joel Bitonio, senior member of the offense and a perennial team captain, does not feel that way.
“First off, a ton of respect for Joe and what he did,” Bitonio said. “I still feel like our offense as a whole didn't do enough for Joe. And so we want to be better for Dillon.
“Since day one in OTAs and offseason workouts, I think Dillon's been preparing for this moment. He takes notes, he handles his business. You see him on Fridays and Saturdays after our practice, he's always doing that extra, walking through the script, walking through the plays. So I think he has a handle on what we want to do and what we want to accomplish. Hopefully he can use his mobility and stuff to open up the offense a little bit for us.”
Fellow rookie running back Quinshon Judkins observed Gabriel first-hand in the 2024 CFP season. Ohio State opened the season with a loss in Oregon and then defeated Oregon in the playoffs.
“Dylan is a guy who's super mobile, he's very smart, obviously talented, and I'm just excited to see how well he goes out there,” Judkins said. “I’ve seen him play twice when he was at Oregon, so I know his style of play. He's a very fierce competitor, so I'm excited to see him go out there and tear it up.”
Judkins said he believes Gabriel will bring the energy to the offense.
“He's [been] like that all the time since the first day we stepped into minicamp when we first both got drafted here,” he said. “So like I said, I'm just excited to see him go out there and do his thing.”
It’s contagious
You know who really wants to see Gabriel bring the energy to the offense?
The defense, that’s who.
“Energy is contagious,” said defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz. “And you know, that’s one of the things that we preach. We preach physical toughness, physicality on defense. We preach effort and we preach energy and enthusiasm and those kinds of things. So yeah, certainly that stuff’s contagious. I feel like when we do a good job of that, it can be contagious to the offense, and I would expect the same, it would be a lift for us too.”
Safety Grant Delpit said, “I mean, we got full confidence in Dillon. I think he's done a good job of staying ready, staying prepared, and it's a good opportunity for him to really show his craft and really prove people wrong. And for people that supported him, prove himself right.
“He might not have the height, he might not have the, he's a lefty … [so it’s] different. So going out that first game [in an] international [game], man, is not a better way he could do it.”
Brownie bits
Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell said this about Gabriel: “[We] did a lot of work just throughout the draft process, getting to know, learn about the player, and obviously, had a tremendous college career. And I think the big thing when I think about Dillon is just he can make all the throws. He's got really unique athleticism, quickness in the pocket to evade the rush, and has always been able to make plays on schedule and also be a weapon off schedule, so we're going to have to make sure we can adapt to that athleticism and still find away to contain him while defending one of the better run games in the league, and some really talented, skilled players as well.” …
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