Shedeur Sanders praises Dillon Gabriel while discussing their relationship

Entering the NFL as a rookie quarterback is typically described as an awkward transition. That’s especially the case in Berea this offseason, because the Cleveland Browns selected two quarterbacks in the 2025 Draft. Taking Dillon Gabriel in the third round and Shedeur Sanders in the fifth, these two rookies not only have to deal with the natural awkwardness of being a rookie QB in the league, they have to navigate being compared to each other at every turn.

Of course, both guys are competing to make the roster and earn the starting job, but they are also building a relationship as teammates that spend a lot of time together. Sanders recently spoke with SportsCasting to discuss how the relationship-building aspect of his short time with Gabriel is going, and he had nothing but good things to say about the quarterback who was drafted two rounds ahead of him.

Sanders expressed to DJ Siddiqi that Gabriel is a cool person, and that he’s been impressed with how the third-round pick handles everything that comes his way, including negative attention.

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.Shedeur Sanders on Dillon Gabriel

Shedeur Sanders says he and Dillon Gabriel are truly cool with each other

Both rookie quarterbacks have been put in a tough spot, because they are frequently asked questions about each other, and each guy has supporters that may occasionally attack the other on social media. However, from the outside looking in, both have done a great job of not letting that energy invade the locker room. In their young NFL careers, they have demonstrated the maturity that shows they understand what healthy competition looks like; they can go after the same spot without being enemies.

While Gabriel and Sanders are being pitted as each other’s top enemy, they’re actually in a quarterback room with two other quarterbacks who also believe they can start. Ironically, no one understands what Sanders or Gabriel is going through better than the other one, and that shared reality is likely fueling their budding relationship. Sanders emphasized that he and Gabriel are for sure learning off each other as they adjust to th NFL.

It’s unclear what will become of the Browns quarterback room, and who will stick around and for how long, but for the time being that Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel are teammates, they’re making sure to be cool with each other and not be divided by outside narratives.

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