Most of the national headlines around the Cleveland Browns right now center on rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders. He's obviously a big name with an NFL star dad, and Cleveland's QB situation is one of the most interesting in the league, but he's not the only one competing for the job.
One of the possible threats to make Sanders start his career as a backup is fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel, who was taken two rounds ahead of Sanders. A position battle is already a challenging situation for a rookie to begin his career with, let alone one as complex as this one that involves the son of a legend.
However, despite Sanders garnering most of the attention, he's making sure the outside noise doesn't get the best of him.
In recent comments to SportsCasting's DJ Siddiqui, Sanders offered serious praise of Gabriel. The Colorado product said he's impressed by Gabriel's composure during this difficult time, and he noted Gabriel's "positive" mindset has made things much easier between the signal-callers.
Even though this was an interview for Sanders, it's great to see him giving Gabriel a chance to step into the spotlight. Not many are hearing from the third-rounder given the massive attention Sanders gets, but this moment helped give a peek behind the scenes on Gabriel's approach to being the overshadowed rookie.
The fact things haven't gotten nasty in any way is just what Browns fans want to hear. Teams around the league seemed to be worried about the media circus Sanders generates, but it appears to be having little effects on Gabriel, who's rising above the challenge.
Gabriel not letting anything get to him shows legitimate leadership potential from the rookie, and how he carries himself in the locker room is surely going to catch his teammates' attention. That's one trait Cleveland will want to see from its 2025 starter, so he's already doing himself some favors in the QB race.