Controversy and headlines have been a mainstay in the Cleveland Browns’ quarterback room this preseason. Rookie QBs Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel have been hot topics and the spotlight got even brighter recently when Gabriel, dropped a comment about “entertainers and competitors.”
Of course, most people, including reporters wondered if Gabriel’s take was a subtle jab at Sanders, who’s known as much for his confidence as his talent. In a locker room with so many QBs, especially two rookies, competition can quickly morph into tension.
Browns QB Shedeur Sanders said fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel approached him on the plane last week to tell him the entertainers-and-competitors quote was not about him. Sanders’ comments on the whole ordeal. pic.twitter.com/BjHIiUbBxU
— Daniel Oyefusi (@DanielOyefusi) August 21, 2025
“Honestly, I don’t even think about nothing. I don’t think about anything,” Sanders told reporters. “If it’s not words or anything at this point, it can’t do anything to me. I know that God put the ability and the power within me to not even think about nobody else’s comments, not care. It is what it is. I spoke with him. He told me on the plane. He came up, he was like, ‘Nah bro, that wasn’t at you.’ … I’m not tripping, regardless of whatever it was. Nobody’s words or anything affects me.”
Dillon Gabriel's comments raised eyebrows, possibly for Shedeur Sanders too
When Dillon Gabriel said, “there are entertainers and there are competitors,” the timing raised plenty of eyebrows. Right after, he said his focus was only on competing. Sanders, a high-profile rookie with a big personality and headline-making college run, seemed like an obvious target to some. Gabriel quickly squashed that notion and clarified that his words described the media, not Sanders, but the internet ran with speculation instead.
Sanders carries the weight of a public image shaped by a famous father, a deep slide in the NFL draft and a persona built in the spotlight. For Browns fans and pundits alike, it was easy to connect Gabriel’s quote to Sanders.
Shedeuer Sanders showing poise in the face of controversy
When asked if he believed Gabriel, Sanders avoided taking the bait. At practice, he shrugged off the drama, stressing that nothing anyone says can change the belief Shedeur has in himself. He said Gabriel clarified on the plane ride that the comment wasn’t aimed at him. Sanders is focused on football and words hold no power over his mindset.
When pressed about whether he believed Gabriel’s explanation, Sanders was convinced that it didn’t matter to him either way. It was obvious Sanders wanted to avoid accusing Gabriel of anything malicious but also his response open for interpretation.
“Did I believe him?” Sanders retorted. “I mean, I feel like you’re trying to start stuff now. I feel like you’re trying to start stuff. I mean, [the reporter’s] doing his job he’s supposed to. Do I feel like he did? I don’t know. And that’s not on me to sit here and be like, ‘Oh he did, he did it.’ That’s not going to change my life in any way.”
As the many cooks in the kitchen known as the Browns quarterback room approach cutdown day, we'll have to see if anymore comes of this, but Sanders has more than acquitted himself in the maturity department.