Shedeur Sanders impressed by how Dillon Gabriel handles negative media

Shedeur Sanders has been impressed by how Dillon Gabriel has handled the negative media that he has received. In an interview with DJ Siddiqi of SportsCasting.com, Sanders talked about his relationship with Gabriel.

“Everything’s been cool,” Shedeur Sanders said. “He’s a cool person. I like how he handles situations, especially just the negative media that’s coming his way. I’m just happy he’s positive, he’s able to handle everything. We’re truly cool.”

Dillon Gabriel was selected by the Cleveland Browns in the third round of this year’s draft, while Sanders was selected in the fifth. The two will compete for the starting quarterback position since Deshaun Watson will likely miss the entire 2025 season due to an Achilles injury.

Earlier this month during the Browns rookie minicamp, head coach Kevin Stefanski talked about the competition between Sanders and Gabriel. “You may get the first rep of practice with the ones, but then the next period you may get the second group. So, we vary it throughout. We’re focused more on the totality of this competition,” Stefanski said a the time, per the Browns’ official website. “I told the players last night, we tell them this – we’re evaluating everything they do out on the field, in the meeting room, in the weight room. We want to see how they work. So, this is a total evaluation. It’s not just about one rep at rookie minicamp or one rep in an OTA. It’s really all about the body of work.”

Dillon Gabriel reacts to Shedeur Sanders joining the Browns

Stefanski added, “I thought both guys did a really nice job and there’s so much to work on. And it’s the minutia of the position. It’s some technique things. It’s the operation needs to get better, all those things. That’s why we’re here.”

Sanders and Gabriel seem to enjoy competing against each other. After a rookie minicamp practice, Gabriel reacted to Sanders joining the Browns. “Yeah, I love it,” Gabriel said, per the Akron Beacon Journal. “I love it because of who it is. I think just for us both, you can learn from one another, but also it’s not just us two in the room. At least for right now it is. But going into the year, Kenny [Pickett], Joe [Flacco], and even Deshaun [Watson], just a bunch of guys who played a bunch of ball that we can all learn from one another.”