Joel Bitonio addresses Browns' controversial Dillon Gabriel, Shedeur Sanders call

On Monday, Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski suggested he's not yet having second thoughts about sticking with struggling rookie Dillon Gabriel as the club's starting quarterback over fellow first-year pro Shedeur Sanders. 

Later in the day, veteran Browns left guard Joel Bitonio addressed a decision that's quite unpopular among members of the Cleveland fan base.

Browns still have "confidence" in Dillon Gabriel

"We have confidence in Dillon to keep improving," Bitonio explained, per Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. "He’s had four games. He’s had some tough matchups, and we want the offense to continue to grow. It’s not a one-person issue at times, so we want to give our quarterbacks a chance. I think this bye week, giving him a chance to reset is going to be good for his growth...For a young guy in this league, four games is so minuscule on a big platform."

Gabriel went 1-3 over those four games, and his one win occurred when the Miami Dolphins committed four turnovers en route to suffering a 31-6 blowout loss to Cleveland on Oct. 19. According to Pro Football Reference, Gabriel entered the Browns' bye week ranked 31st in the league among qualified players with a 25.8 adjusted QBR and 28th with a 78.4 passer rating on the season. Meanwhile, ESPN stats show that the Browns ended Week 8 ranked 30th in the league in scoring (15.8 points per game). 

Browns are still learning what Dillon Gabriel may be as a pro QB1

Sanders hasn't yet made his regular-season debut and spent Cleveland's 32-13 loss at the New England Patriots this past Sunday recovering from a curious back injury. Some outsiders have assumed Browns players such as Bitonio may be eager to see what Sanders could offer the offense this fall, but it sounds like that's not the case heading into November. 

"We have to give him a chance to adjust and to see what he likes," Bitonio added about Gabriel. "I think going back, rewatching these games and being like, what plays were we successful with on offense? What does he like? How does he like to move in the pocket? Where does he like to set up? All those things are still questions that we have to answer, and then as an offense, we want to perform better to give him a chance to truly be evaluated." 

As of the final Tuesday of October, there was no indication that Sanders could get the nod for when the 2-6 Browns play at the New York Jets (1-7) on Nov. 9. The Jets will also spend Week 9 on the bye.