It was impressive watching the rookie duo of Jaxson Dart and Cam Skattebo put the Chargers’ stout defense on its heels multiple times on Sunday. Sure, the Giants came up short a few times in the red zone, but they certainly held their own in the stunning 21–18 victory.
I’m not sure how much credit Giants coach Brian Daboll deserves for starting Dart over Russell Wilson because he was running out of options to save his job, but at least he didn’t wait a week to make the switch vs. the winless Saints. Daboll opted to have his rookie signal-caller make his starting debut against a Chargers defense that had frustrated Patrick Mahomes, Geno Smith and Bo Nix, and was only allowing less than 18 points per game heading into Sunday.
Dart passed the ultimate test, and now he gets the multiple-choice test from the music teacher in college, who promised to at least give him a passing grade for showing up to fill out the form.
Now, the Browns aren’t lucky enough to draw the Saints this season, and the Titans aren’t scheduled until December. But coach Kevin Stefanski should follow Daboll’s lead and start rookie quarterback Dillon Gabriel this week against the Vikings in London.
I’m not trying to say Cleveland and New York have identical situations, because the Browns got their jolt with the Week 3 upset over the Packers, and that did them no favors in Sunday’s blowout loss vs. the Lions. But there are some similarities, with the Browns having a physical rookie running back in Quinshon Judkins and a stout defense. Skattebo’s presence and the Giants’ ferocious defensive front were instrumental in Dart coming out victorious for his debut against the Chargers.
But for the Browns, this is about learning about what you have in Gabriel, the rookie third-round pick who was good enough to win the QB2 job over Shedeur Sanders and Kenny Pickett, who was traded to the Raiders last month. Again, this is not the same. Dart was clearly the best rookie quarterback in the preseason, and he was viewed as the second-best prospect in the 2025 class behind Cam Ward.
And, yes, Ward is struggling right now for the winless Titans, perhaps proving the point that sometimes organizations should have their prized rookie quarterback learn from the sideline. Still, the Titans had no other choice, and more importantly, needed to know what they had in Ward.
The urgency is not the same for a third-round selection when compared to the first-round picks. But the Browns (1–3) aren’t going anywhere with Joe Flacco this season, and he probably won’t be back for a second season in Cleveland. Outside of Flacco’s game-winning drive vs. the Packers, the grizzled veteran hasn’t done much to help Stefanski’s offense, including throwing two interceptions in Detroit.
Put it this way: If Gabriel is the real deal as a rookie, the Browns can use their 2026 draft picks, including two first-rounders from the Travis Hunter trade with the Jaguars, to continue building a strong roster. If Gabriel struggles for a month, they can also get a good look at Sanders, who divided the sports world with his shocking draft slide to the fifth round. If neither projects to be franchise QB material, well, no harm, no foul, because the Browns are right back where they were in the offseason and the offseason before that and the offseason before that.
As for another potential positive for starting Gabriel: If he plays well enough, maybe the Browns will view him as the long-term starter or as a quality backup. At that point, there wouldn’t be much reason to keep Sanders around, perhaps spurring a trade before the Nov. 4 deadline. I’m sure Deion Sanders would appreciate that if his son isn’t getting handed the keys to the offense.
Perhaps this won’t mean much in the long run, and the Browns will be in on—hold up, checking mock drafts in late September—Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza or LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier. However, there was some logic in the Browns adding as many quarterbacks as possible, with the hope that one would stick around. They won’t honestly know whether they have a quarterback gem without at least starting one of the rookies.
More NFL on Sports Illustrated
This article was originally published on www.si.com as It’s Time for the Browns to Start Dillon Gabriel.
