For the second straight weekend, Dillon Gabriel will be the starting quarterback for the Cleveland Browns. This time around, however, Shedeur Sanders will be his primary backup.
Joe Flacco was the No. 2 quarterback for the Browns in Week 5. He was then traded to the Cincinnati Bengals, clearing the path for Sanders to climb up the depth chart. Initially, head coach Kevin Stefanski was unwilling to commit to Sanders being his backup signal-caller against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
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“I’m always thinking about our players and what’s best for our players,” Stefanski said. “And I want to make sure when it comes to young football players, particularly at the quarterback position, that you are intentional about your decision-making, and that’s really all it is. So, excited for all our guys.”
On Friday afternoon, Stefanski finally announced that Sanders will be his backup quarterback for Week 6. Naturally, that sparked a lot of reactions on social media.
Aug 16, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Cleveland Browns quarterback Dillon Gabriel (5) runs with the ball against the Philadelphia Eagles during the first quarter at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images© Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
Browns fans rooting against Gabriel?
Countless fans in Cleveland are excited about Sanders moving up the depth chart. That being said, a few people have taken things too far.
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A popular social media user by the name of “Cleveland Sports Talk” posted this question on the platform formerly known as Twitter: “Now, do you want #Browns quarterback Dillon Gabriel to get hurt on Sunday?”
Thankfully, the responses to this post were quite normal. People made it clear that anyone rooting for Gabriel to get hurt shouldn’t consider themselves a Browns fan.
“This might be the worst tweet i’ve ever seen about Cleveland sports,” one fan said.
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“IF you’re hoping that a player to ‘get hurt,’ turn in your jersey. You’re not a fan,” a second person replied.
“This is exactly why they say Cleveland sports media is trash what is this man smh! Idgaf if you want a certain player to play you don’t wish injury on nobody especially the one on your team. I hope DG go out there and ball out…. I’m rooting for your success man,” a third fan commented.
“Praying on Dillon’s downfall is nasty work!! Dillon ain’t done a thing to anyone. Blame the Browns for the BS that’s taken place. Things like THIS is what keeps us divided. Be better,” another person said.
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Gabriel completed 19-of-33 pass attempts for 190 yards with two touchdowns in a Week 5 loss to the Minnesota Vikings. We’ll see if he can pick up his first win as a starter this Sunday afternoon.
Kickoff for the Browns-Steelers game is at 1 p.m. ET on CBS.
This story was originally reported by The Spun on Oct 11, 2025, where it first appeared in the NFL section. Add The Spun as a Preferred Source by clicking here.