Dan Orlovsky reveals one surprising reason that helped Dillon Gabriel beat Shedeur Sanders for Browns QB2 job

NFL analyst Dan Orlovsky shares a surprising reason that led to Dillon Gabriel beating out Shedeur Sanders for the backup job.

The Cleveland Browns announced that Joe Flacco would be the team's starter, while Gabriel will be the backup, and Sanders as the third-stringer. Gabriel and Sanders were in a quarterback competition for the backup job, but Orlovsky believes one key

"So the tape from week two of the preseason or week three of the preseason was very good. I think he plays really fast, he moves in the pocket very efficiently. And the one thing that maybe was unexpected was the arm strength was pretty significant," Orlovsky said on NFL Live on August 26 (9:57).

Orlovsky believes the preseason tape from Gabriel was just better than Sanders', which is why he won the backup job.

Meanwhile, Orlovsky says he was surprised by how strong Gabriel's arm was, as that was a question mark on him entering the NFL Draft.

Sanders, meanwhile, will likely be inactive throughout the season as he will continue to practice and develop behind Flacco and Gabriel.

The Browns will open their 2025 NFL season on Sept. 7 against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Browns coach praises Dillon Gabriel

Dillon Gabriel will serve as the Cleveland Browns' primary backup quarterback, and he won the job as coach Kevin Stefanski was impressed by him.

The Browns selected Gabriel in the third round, which was a surprise, but Stefanski says he improved every day and is someone they feel comfortable with as the backup.

"We feel comfortable with Dillon serving that role... It's such an all-encompassing evaluation. Everything the guys did in the games was important. We also saw a lot of them out here in practice and how they are at their craft," Stefanski said, via NFL.com. "He's certainly somebody that we think is getting better and better."

After training camp, Cleveland also traded Kenny Pickett to the Las Vegas Raiders for a fifth-round pick in the 2026 draft, as Gabriel beat out Pickett for the backup job.

Gabriel is coming off leading the Oregon Ducks to a Big Ten championship. He was a six-year starter in college, so he has plenty of experience to be the backup quarterback behind Flacco.