DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Pure Football Forum Browns News 5.0

I agree with you on your previous post. It was well-stated. I had a lot of hope for Gabriel, but with each passing week of not seeing a ton of improvement, that hope steadily went down. He had a ROUGH start to this year (operating within this offense as well as the defenses he had to go against with limited prep). I was really hoping to see improvement vs not-as-tough defenses, but instead saw a lot more of the same. He made a couple tougher throws vs Baltimore... but the flipside is that I think I'm seeing him get steadily less decisive. The six sacks vs the Jets really stands out. I understand our pass-blocking isn't doing anyone any favors, but six sacks to a defense that currently has 18 for the year catches your attention.

My worry with Sanders is that he hasn't addressed some of his more egregious weaknesses in his game, and it's going to be tough to get a good gage on what he could be for us. I was really hoping we wouldn't see him in action until much closer to the end of the year.

None of that helps if you don't have it behind the ears. His bad traits are exactly the same as they were in college. College tape proves Gabriel has the arm strength. But when all looking downfield accomplishes with this OL is a very high likelihood you will be sacked it's a low success rate play. Who calls and looks for a play that takes 3 seconds to execute when your OL isn't even giving you 2 seconds?

Sometimes being fancy and looking flashy isn't the same thing as being smart.

His arm is below average. Don't kid yourself. We have seen it for 6 weeks now. His two best traits are that he is a leader and has leadership skills and he processes plays quickly. He just does not have the physical skillset to be a starting QB in the NFL.

Six weeks? So in this video are your eyes lying to you? Or are you going to turn a blind eye to it all together?



Com on man.

Yeah I know it was college but are you trying to say his arm has gotten weaker since college? that he has gotten poorer at reading coverages downfield since college? That's just not true. But you just keep clinging to your "six weeks".

His arm is not NFL starter caliber. Sanders looked terrible on Sunday but when he threw down field the ball looked to rocket off his arm compared to what we have seen in Gabriel. Face it if Gabriel was 6'3 and had a stronger arm he would have been a 1st round draft pick and would probably been a super star. Well, he is not. They list him at 5"11 but most of the media in Cleveland says he is much closer to 5'9 than 5'11. He is just too small. I cannot help that. Did you watch the rose bowl last year? Ohio made him look just like he has looked all season long.

Several of those passes on that video are undeniable NFL throws that show more than adequate arm strength. But I didn't actually expect you to admit that even with solid video evidence of it.

Did you see him look stellar and actually beat OSU in their first game last year? Gabriel went 23-34 with two TD's and 341 yards passing. The video evidence was provided for you. Publicly denying it is on you.

But you are tight about one thing. If he had more the prototypical size of an NFL QB he would have been drafted much higher. But that doesn't change the "fact" that the arm strength is there.

You do realize everyone who sees this board can also see that video, right?

I was right about Gabriel the night he was over drafted, and I remain right about him now. You are just blinded by your agenda. Gabriel is not an NFL caliber QB. If you have a good line and good WRs he possibly can be a backup and has the mind that great QBs have. He will someday be a great QB coach he is just not QB. Sanders has the raw talent but needs to learn. Can he learn? We will see. If he can be an NFL QB because he has the physical skill set that Gabriel does not have.

Video evidence is not an agenda. Everyone else can watch it and see for themselves. It seems your agenda is all in on Sanders. Yet the entire NFL let him sit on the board the entire time. It seems every NFL team in the league disagrees with you.

You go ahead and think you know more than every NFL GM including ours. Whatever it takes to make you feel better. I'll go with every GM in the NFL and the video evidence. Or as you call that, an agenda.

Your argument seems to be that he had the protection to run long pass plays at Oregon but he doesn't have that here. On that we agree.

I am not a Sanders fan one way or the other. He is at least the size of most of the NFL QBs. I think the Browns should have went all in on Pickett in 2025 with Flacco as his insurance policy and then drafted Will Howard as the developmental QB. I hate that the Steelers drafted him and he will end up haunting the Browns like so many Ohio players that went to the Steelers in the past.

How many Buckeye QB's over the last 20 years have gone on to successful NFL careers again? I can only really think of one and he's looking pretty shaky this year himself. You're really hung up on this "his size" thing aren't you? OSU has produced some great WR's. Some great CB's. Some great DL and LB'ers. QB's? Not so much.

A good arm is a good arm whether in college or the pros. DG has a good enough arm for the NFL. If h had a solid O-Line and better receivers I'm sure he would be showing us. A small college QB could have an NFL arm but never make the pros.

That's like watching a video of Kenny Lofton stealing bases, while you tell us how slow he is.

If the Browns get a bridge quarterback on a third-round rookie salary, isn't that a bonus?

If Gabriel proves to be a journeyman quarterback and you trade later for an early-round pick, is that not a double bonus?

So, Gabriel is a little short and is not the greatest athlete. It may take a season or two before he pays dividends. He is receiving a third-round salary. What's the issue?

If Sanders is the better athlete but lacks the mental aspect of the game, again, what's the issue? The percentages for a later-round pick at any position are low.

The low-risk, high-reward quarterbacks provide the obvious play.

Lastly, if Cleveland can establish a plan that turns project quarterbacks into productive players, isn't that a win?

Teams today don't want to develop; they want instant results. In my opinion, they are passing up value. Developing a plan for late-round draft picks increases your odds for success. It's how good teams maintain success for multiple years.

It's really tough to throw vertically, while running for your life, or laying on your back.

I think he can be a very serviceable back-up.

I didn't say a word about Sanders.

j/c

Let me address the play calls. Every play that's called has WR designations. Such as the first and second reads on any given play. There is actually an order in which the QB is supposed to look at his targets. That is assigned and the plays are designed that way by the coaching staff.

I'm quite sure since most all of us know it, the coaching staff knows it too, that there is no way in hell they can depend on this OL to protect any QB they have starting for long on any regular basis. That's the hand they've been dealt and the reality of what they're dealing with. If your QB is looking at the short routes first that's because that's how the play is designed. That's the progression of his targets as the play has been designed.

And that also makes sense. The odds of this OL having the ability to protect a QB long enough for the longer plays to develop is a very risky proposition at best. You play the cards you are dealt and not the cards you wish you had.

Details of Alex Wright's contract extension with Cleveland Browns revealed

The Cleveland Browns worked out a new contract extension for one of their bright young spots on defense. These are the details.

The Cleveland Browns have been a stellar defensive team despite their 2-8 record.

A huge bright spot has been defensive end Alex Wright, who has three sacks and 17 total tackles this season.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Browns landed a three-year extension worth $33 million with Wright that includes $21 million guaranteed. The deal was negotiated by Wright's agents Drew Rosenhaus and Shawn O’Dare.

The Browns selected Wright with the No. 78 overall selection in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft. He was entering the last few games of his rookie contract, but Browns general manager Andrew Berry ensured that he would be with the organization moving forward.

Wright was a bit of a sleeper prospect coming out of UAB. But he received playing time right away as a rookie, compiling 13 total tackles in 2022.

In 2023, Wright popped off the page during Cleveland’s run to the NFL Playoffs. He had 16 total tackles and added five big sacks during his second season in the league. In 2024, Wright was placed on the injured reserve with torn triceps during Week 4 and finished the season with just one sack.

But in 2025, Wright assumed a bigger role in Jim Schwartz’s defense. He has started four games on the opposite side of Myles Garrett and already has three sacks with seven games remaining on Cleveland’s schedule.

Schwartz deploys defensive tackles rotationally. But whenever Wright is in the game, his presence is felt. When the Browns traded Joe Tyron-Shoyinka to the Chicago Bears at the NFL trade deadline for a late-round pick swap, it was evident that the team was comfortable with Wright in his increased role moving forward.

While anybody would look good playing alongside Garrett, the Browns have been seeking a long-term fit on the other side of their defensive line since he was drafted back in 2017.

Wright might not have the big name notoriety like Oliver Vernon or Jadeveon Clowney did, but his consistent production warranted this contract extension.

Still just 25 year-old, the Browns will have Wright locked up through his prime years in the NFL. He will be set to hit unrestricted free agency when he turns 28, which would give the Browns an opportunity to extend him again or move on if they believe that his best football is behind him.

In Schwartz’s defensive ecosystem headlined by Garrett, there is almost no debate that Cleveland is an environment that Wright can continue to thrive in with this new contract.

Per SI

Agreed and I feel the worse thing we can do at this time is make a change at HC and GM. It would disrupt everything and set us back further. Berry had a good draft last year and we have some good young players even on O. We need 2 OT's and a guard a #1 WR and naturally a QB. If we hit on those 4 positions, and it won't be easy, we can be competitive next year and I haven't been the most optimistic guy.

I can envision a scenario where this isn't necessarily the case. If you think KS just ain't it and aren't scared of a scheme change on the offensive side of the ball, you can try to do a coaching overhaul that will have minimal impact on the defensive side. We are going to essentially turn over the entire offensive roster over the next few years either way, so if we were to promote Schwartz to HC, he promotes an underling that will keep his system and coaching staff, then the impact of a regime change will be limited to the roster you were going to replace anyway.

Granted, this assumes the coaching change goes smoother than just about any previous Browns regime changes.

That is a reasonable and well thought out plan,therefore it will not happen.

That's a plausible possibility. There's more than one way we can go.

I feel what you propose is a distinct possibility. But I feel what has happened to this point will be the deciding factor in all of that.

As it pertains to this season I don't think any of Stefanski's evaluation will be based on that. We all know the Browns didn't make a serious attempt to draft an NFL ready QB nor a serious move to try and draft a franchise QB. And it would also make sense for any reasonably thinking person to know it isn't Stefanski who makes the calls like sending Flacco packing. Input into the decision probably. Making the actual call? Hardly. With the state of the roster I don't think any reasonable person expected much more than what we're seeing. The OT positions are a mess and we have no legitimate #1 WR. If we knew that, they knew that.

What I think the bulk of whether Stefanski stays or goes will be based in large part by who was it that made the initial push to get watson. That's the overriding factor of why we are in the position we are in now. I get the whole collaboration thing. But all that really means is that in the end everyone signs off on it. Someone came up with the idea. Someone was leading the pack in pushing that they go after him. And in the end someone pretty much agreed to do it at any cost.

If anyone gets kicked to the curb I would say that's the person who we would see it happen to. Of course if that happens to be Berry, it's most likely a new GM would want his own HC. So in the end it may be both Berry and Stefanski that hit the door.

On the other hand if it was Halsam pushing the issue both may get another shot here since the first shot wasn't there's in the first place.

But I don't know how that all went down behind closed doors any more than anyone else does so it will be interesting to see how this all plays out.

I know one thing, if Berry is replaced it has to be with experienced people or we will more likely than not go through the exact same growing pains we have over the past several seasons.

Not even Schwartz can be successful with such a horrendous roster.