The leash on Dillon Gabriel appears long. Kevin Stefanski said that QB2 Shedeur Sanders is not receiving any practice reps with the first team as the team concentrates on developing Gabriel as the starting QB.
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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.
When Dillon Gabriel was QB2 to starter Joe Flacco, coaches managed to squeeze in some first-team reps for Gabriel during the practice week over the first four weeks of the season.
But now that Gabriel is the starter in the wake of the Flacco trade to Cincinnati, new QB2 Shedeur Sanders is not receiving any first-team reps.
That revelation was made by coach Kevin Stefanski in response to this question I posed at his routine Wednesday press availability:
Q. When Gabriel was the backup, you said he was getting some number one reps. Is that true with Shedeur?
Stefanski: “No … I mean with a young quarterback, with Dillon starting, you want to make sure he gets a lot of reps. Different when you have a veteran like Joe … But [Sanders is] still getting reps in a bunch of periods.”
A few takeaways:
1. Gabriel received No. 1 reps during training camp and then when the season started because Stefanski always anticipated he’d be next in line to take over as the starting QB. The unexpected trade of Flacco accelerated Gabriel’s promotion.
2. The gap between Gabriel and Sanders was established in training camp, as Sanders never received reps with the first team. At time, Flacco, Kenny Pickett and Gabriel took reps on the same field while Sanders took reps on a separate field. Even though Flacco and Pickett are no longer with the team as a result of separate trades made by GM Andrew Berry, the gap between Gabriel and Sanders evidently has not closed. At least in the eyes of the head coach.
3. If Sanders is not receiving any first-team reps, it means Gabriel has a long shelf life as starting QB. Again, at least in the eyes of Stefanski.
4. Barring an injury, the only way, for now, Sanders might be promoted is through a directive from Stefanski’s bosses.
Welcome to the show
In his last season at Oregon, Gabriel finished third in Heisman Trophy voting after directing an offense that averaged 275.5 passing yards per game and 34.8 points.
In his first three NFL starts, Gabriel is averaging 175.6 gross yards passing and the offense is scoring 16.6 points a game.
Frustrating?
“Not necessarily,” Gabriel said. “Everything’s different, you know? I think it’s easy to compare and contrast, because that’s where I was last year. But for the most part, you want to be explosive. You want to play at a high level, but at the same time, there’s steps in taking to that. You know, it’s not going to just be in one day. We’re going to just do that. So we’re taking the steps and we’re going to get better and keep growing and yeah, it’s one step at a time.”
Telling it straight
With the November 4 NFL trade deadline approaching, national “insiders” have been compiling lists of candidates to be dealt. Several of the lists have included guard Wyatt Teller, who is in the last year of his Browns’ contract and at 31 is still young enough to be desirable in the open market.
For the record, Teller does not want to be traded from the Browns.
“I take it as a compliment almost, right?” he said of being included on a list of tradeable players. “It's like …there's still worth, which is nice. But, you know, I don't want to get traded. I love it in Cleveland. I understand that there's, you know, the business side of it. But I want to retire as a Brown and go right off into history as a Brown.”
Teller joined the Browns at the end of the 2019 training camp in perhaps the best trade of former GM John Dorsey. Teller had finished his rookie season with the Buffalo Bills starting at left guard. But the Bills had a surplus on the offensive line and they traded Teller and a 2021 seventh-round pick for the Browns’ fifth- and sixth-round picks in 2020.
Since starting at right guard in the ninth week of 2020, Teller has been a stalwart on the Browns’ offensive line. He was an absolute road-grader in Bill Callahan’s wide-zone running scheme, earning accolades for pancake blocks that went viral on social media and three Pro Bowl berths.
In November of 2021, Berry gave Teller a four-year contract extension for $56.8 million. The deal expires this season. Teller said he has asked his agent to pursue talks with Berry for an extended deal.
“Anything could happen, but I just feel like I'm a Brown through and through, and they know that I'm a Brown through and through,” Teller said.
By the way, Teller said he thought Callahan would rejoin the Browns as a consultant after he left the Titans two weeks ago when his son, Brian, was fired as Tennessee head coach.
Callahan, 69, has not indicated his next move.
“He'll be 99 still doing this,” Teller said with a laugh. “He loves it. Now, I know that's a lot of physical strain. That's a lot of mental strain. But I just think that Bill Callahan's bred that way. That's just how he is every day. He loves football. And I feel like at this point, he's had a lot of success. So why wouldn't he? He can pick your spot. But yeah, I hope the best for Bill Callahan. I know he's going to land on his feet and do great.”
Brownie bits
Safety Grant Delpit had a great game defensively against the Dolphins, but his fumble force on a Miami kickoff return and two special teams tackles earned him the AFC special teams player of the week award …
Defensive tackle Adin Huntington (concussion) and receiver Jerry Jeudy (knee) were the only players to not practice. Tight end David Njoku (knee), who missed the Miami game, was limited. Right tackle Jack Conklin, who has missed four of seven games with three different injuries, did not even appear on the injury report.