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Myles Garrett shares honest advice to Dillon Gabriel ahead of Steelers game

Originally posted on Cleveland Browns on SI
By Cade Cracas | Last updated Oct 10, 2025 5:54 PM ET

It won't be easy.

And it certainly won't be pretty.

The Cleveland Browns have their work cut out for themselves this coming weekend as the team travels east to take on the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium. The two sides enter the game with very different starts to the 2025 season, with Pittsburgh sitting 3-1 on the season and Cleveland on the opposite end of the spectrum at 1-4.

However, one of the biggest differences between the two rivals comes in the form of who each's signal caller is.

The Browns are being led by rookie Dillon Gabriel, who was selected in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft and has just been the starter for one game up until Sunday, while the Steelers are coming into the contest with veteran Aaron Rodgers under center.

Leading up to the big game, defensive standout for Cleveland, Myles Garrett, shared words of advice for the youngster out of the University of Oregon.

"It's not going to be pretty. All that matters is that you get the win," Garrett said.

Myles Garrett on his message to Dillon Gabriel ahead of his first game in Pittsburgh:

"It's not going to be pretty. All that matters is that you get the win."
— Daniel Oyefusi (@DanielOyefusi) October 10, 2025

Throughout his time with the Browns, Garrett has only seen his team win five games, lose eight and tie one. The most notable win of the five came back on Nov. 21, 2024, where he helped lead the defense with five tackles and three sacks in a 24-19 win.

In the 2025 season, he has played in all five showings for the Browns, recording 21 tackles, eight for a loss and eight quarterback hits. He also has four sacks on the year. To put it plain and simple, Garrett is continuing to dominate opposing teams.

While the defense has been anchored by the No. 1 overall selection in the 2017 NFL Draft, the offense is being led by Gabriel for just the second time this season.

After benching veteran Joe Flacco after a 1-3 start, the coaching staff turned to Gabriel for a matchup in London, England, for international play against the Minnesota Vikings. There, he threw for 19-of-33, good enough for 190 yards and two touchdowns. The former Oregon Duck managed the game well, but didn't look spectacular.

Against a team like Pittsburgh, he will get eaten alive unless he settles into the game quickly. This storied rivalry between two teams separated by a singular state border has seen countless quarterbacks for Cleveland been shut down and made to fail.

The Browns and Steelers first met back in the 1950 season, with the Browns dominating them that decade. They won 16-of-20 appearances before winning 15-of-20 in the 1960s. However, that reign of terror only lasted so long as the Steelers have won five of the other six decades since.

The all-time series between the two heated rivals sits 80-63-1 in favor of Pittsburgh, with games being played in Pittsburgh being 51-21 in favor of the Steelers.

Its obvious that Gabriel will have to be sharp, composed and ready to go on Sunday.

The game will give him his first taste of what it truly means to represent the brown and orange, especially when going up against a team wearing yellow and black.

This article first appeared on Cleveland Browns on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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