Shedeur Sanders’ Browns rival Dillon Gabriel walked back a controversial comment on Saturday night after fans perceived it to be a slight at the former Colorado passer.
The pair are jostling for positioning in Cleveland’s crowded quarterback competition, and fellow rookie Gabriel was handed his first start this weekend after Sanders impressed against the Panthers in his debut last week.
But Gabriel was met with fierce backlash from fans after answering a question about how he’s able to ‘tune out the noise.’
‘There’s entertainers and there’s competitors,’ he told CBS’ Aditi Kinkhabwala on the sideline during the game. ‘And I totally understand that, and my job is to compete. And that’s what I’m focused on doing.’
Fans quickly piled on the third-round pick as they interpreted his comments to be a dig at his teammate Sanders.
‘Proof that there are many ways to be a bad teammate,’ one wrote on X.
Dillon Gabriel walked back a controversial comment during the Browns game on Saturday
Gabriel’s ‘entertainers’ quip was interpreted by many to be about Shedeur Sanders
‘He thought this comment was slick,’ another said.
And a third said: ‘Why is he dissing Sanders when Sheduer is literally better.’
Following the game, in which Gabriel threw for 143 yards and an interception, he offered an explanation for his prior comments: the ‘entertainers’ he was referring to were actually 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 also claimed that he had said his ‘entertainers’ remark previously.
He continued: ‘I’m all about our team… each other. I would never make that – and I’ve said it before, that’s why it’s interesting. But for me, I have to explain it: entertainers are you all, competitor, that’s what I am and all my teammates, and we both have jobs to do.
With Gabriel and Tyler Huntley under center, the Browns beat the Eagles 22-13.
Sanders – who threw for 138 yards and two touchdowns in his first game – did not see the field against Philly.
He made a memorable entrance prior to facing Carolina as he walked into Bank of America stadium with a boombox playing next to him.
Sanders was accompanied by someone holding a boombox before his debut
Gabriel passed for 143 yards and an interception against the Eagles on Saturday
Nonetheless, the Browns’ fourth-stringer didn’t move up the depth chart on this week following his promising performance – and things went from bad to worse as he suffered an injury setback.
He exited a joint practice with the Eagles on Wednesday with an oblique injury, revealed to be a sprain according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
Sanders will hope to get healthy for the Browns’ preseason finale against the Rams next Saturday.
He’s faced an uphill battle to even make Cleveland’s roster after shockingly falling to the fifth round of the NFL Draft back in April.
Reports emerged afterwards that the son of Deion Sanders, who was at one point pegged to be a top-five pick, left teams unimpressed with his approach in interviews.
He also chose not to throw at the NFL Combine.
Now in Cleveland, he is competing with Gabriel, the newly-signed Huntley, Kenny Pickett (who is dealing with a hamstring injury) and veteran Joe Flacco.
He’s reportedly yet to receive first-team reps in practice – even after his encouraging debut.
And Browns owner Jimmy Haslam even previously stated that the move to take Sanders was not his decision.
