The Cleveland Browns secured a much-needed win on Sunday against an elite Green Bay Packers team. Unfortunately for former Oregon standout Dillon Gabriel, that could prevent him from having a starting job in the near future.
There had been reports indicating that at some point, Gabriel could get a chance to be the full-time starter for the Browns, but after Joe Flacco won that game, despite not doing anything too impressive in the win, the team might continue on with the veteran.
However, according to a recent report from Brad Stainbrook of ESPN Cleveland, there’s still an opportunity for Gabriel to be a starter sometime in the immediate future.
Could Dillon Gabriel become the Browns' starter?
"Earlier this week, (head coach) Kevin Stefanski and offensive coordinator Tommy Rees spent much of Monday in meetings weighing whether to hand the job to rookie Dillon Gabriel, per league sources close to the situation," Stainbrook reported. "The staff ultimately decided to stick with Flacco for another week, but the leash is short."
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Hearing that the leash is short is positive for Gabriel.
While having a short leash is always a good thing for guys around the NFL, it'll ultimately be up to Gabriel to prove whether he has enough to play in the NFL.
Getting an opportunity is one thing, but running away with the chance is another.
It'll be interesting to see how he does if he ever gets that chance, but for his sake, if he wants to be a starter, he'll need the team to start losing games every week.
During his time in Oregon, Gabriel proved himself to be a competent quarterback.
However, the NFL is much different than playing in college.