Dillon Gabriel wants to put the rumors to rest.
During his preseason debut against the Eagles on Saturday, the Browns’ rookie quarterback made a comment that many believed to be a dig at fellow Cleveland rookie Shedeur Sanders.
“There’s entertainers and there’s competitors,” Gabriel said during an interview on the broadcast. “And I totally understand that, and my job is to compete. And that’s what I’m focused on doing.”
The NFL posted Gabriel’s remarks to X without including the question that was allegedly asked beforehand.
According to Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated, the question asked to Gabriel was about how the Browns’ quarterbacks are “trying to make sure the outside noise doesn’t infiltrate what’s going on internally.”
Gabriel himself, however, shut down the speculation that he was talking about Sanders following the game, saying that he was referring to members of the media.
“All you in this room are entertainers,” Gabriel said. “You have a job to do, and I respect it. Right? And I’m a competitor, so I have a job to do as well.”
Gabriel, 24, had a decent showing during Cleveland’s 22-13 win over Philadelphia, completing 13-of-18 passes for 173 yards.
The third-round selection did, however, throw an interception in the second quarter, which the Eagles returned for a touchdown.
Sanders, 23, did not see the field Saturday as he’s currently dealing with an oblique injury suffered during a joint practice with the Eagles on Wednesday.
“If it’s a right guard, you can play through that,” Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski told reporters this week. “When it’s a quarterback, you kind of need that muscle to throw. So, unfortunately, going to put him down for a little bit here.
“We’ll treat it day-to-day and see how it responds. But [we] want to be smart because he’s a thrower — you can’t push that thing.”