“Will he be refunding me for my 5 jersey”: NFL fans react to Dillon Gabriel switching no. 8 jersey after Kenny Pickett’s trade to Raiders

NFL: Cleveland Browns at Philadelphia Eagles - Source: Imagn
NFL: Cleveland Browns at Philadelphia Eagles - Source: Imagn

He’s already taken his spot on the roster, and now Dillon Gabriel is taking something else from Kenny Pickett. The Cleveland Browns’ third-round draft pick this year has switched from number five to eight, the same number that Pickett had before being traded to the Las Vegas Raiders.

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“Will he be refunding me for my 5 jersey I purchased,” one fan wondered.
“Nobody bought his jersey here he didn’t have to buy more then 7 jerseys to change it,” said another.

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“Kenny taking L’s,” said someone else.

Gabrie wore #5 in camp and preseason, though he was #8 during his college days at Oklahoma and Oregon. Pickett was expected to contend for the starting job in training camp, but the Super Bowl-winning backup quarterback with the Philadelphia Eagles ultimately lost out to Joe Flacco. He’ll likely be the backup in Vegas, behind Geno Smith.

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In college, Sheduer Sanders wore #2 for the Colorado Buffaloes, but he’s been wearing #12 with the Browns. Gabriel is small in stature for a quarterback, standing 5’11” tall.

Gabriel will serve as Flacco’s backup to begin the regular season, with head coach Kevin Stefanski officially naming the 53-man roster on Tuesday.

“We feel comfortable with Dillon serving that role,” Stefanski said.
“Kenny’s a guy I think very highly of, and so do I wish him well. He’s a really good football player, but those are the type of decisions that you have to make.”
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In his two preseason affairs, Gabriel completed 25 of his 37 passes for 272 yards with one touchdown and one interception.

Dillon Gabriel’s hidden talent

It’s hard to take away a lot from preseason games, but there’s one unexpected attribute we may have learned about Dillon Gabriel.

Former NFL quarterback turned analyst Dan Orlovsky shared his insights on the youngster so far.

“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 maybe one thing that was unexpected was the arm strength was pretty significant,” Orlovsky noted.
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Gabriel was also renowned for being able to think quickly on his feet, while staying calm in tight pockets. That, plus his ability to read defenses quickly, is among the reasons he’ll be playing behind Flacco to start the campaign.

The Browns open the regular season on September 7 against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Cleveland Browns Nation! Check out the latest Cleveland Browns Schedule and dive into the Browns Depth Chart for NFL Season 2024-25.

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Edited by Joel Lefevre
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