Cleveland – Traditional wisdom shows that when the regular season begins against the Cincinnati Bengals on September 7, the Browns will start quarterback Joe Flacco with veteran Kenny Pickett.
But what if Pickett wasn't ready due to a hamstring injury, he's been fighting since July 26?
If Pickett keeps the situation, rookies quarterbacks Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders will have a chance to rank second in the depth list.
The focus of the story is whether Gabriel strengthened his case in the third and final preseason game against the Los Angeles Rams at Huntington Bank Field. The simple answer is that Gabriel flourishes.
The second ended with Flacco's 15-yard touchdown pass with rookie tight end Harold Fannin Jr. after Flacco started with most first-string offenses and played three-game series against the Rams.
Gabriel played two series, the first ending with a shot and the second touchdown. He made 12 passes (63.2%) of 19 goals for 129 yards, while TD did not intercept, with a score of 100.5. Sanders started the second half.
He performed a 2-minute drill with impressive efficiency in Gabriel's second series and threw his first touchdown pass in the NFL preseason.
The Browns occupied the 14-yard line with 1:52 left in the second quarter. Gabriel scored nine goals in 11 games while plotting 11 games, 86-yard drive, and his 3-yard touchdown pass to rookie catcher Gage larvae. The score gave the Browns a 16-7 advantage with 17 seconds left in the first half. Kicker Dustin Hopkins missed the super kick.
Gabriel took the Browns into the red zone with 43 yards with 8 three-pointers in his first series against the Rams. The end of 70-yard scoring drive in 15 games was Hopkins' record of 28 yards, and the Browns led 10-0 with 4:18 left in the second quarter.
In the last game, Gabriel fired an incomplete pass in the lower left corner of the finish area. Rams' safety Shaun Jolly got good coverage in the third inning and eight games at the LA 10-yard line, and the trap was difficult because the throws were low.
At second and 8 years old, the larvae should be dragged from Gabriel's pass on an outer line near the end zone, but the ball passes through the larva's hands.
Gabriel's best pass was on third and 10 of the Rams 24 when he tied 12 yards with tight Blake Whiteheart for the first time. Earlier, Gabriel was doing well when he threw the ball on the Browns 46 second and second, instead of trying to force something.
How did Cleveland Browns rookie quarterback Dillon Gabriel play in the preseason against the Philadelphia Eagles?
Gabriel's third-round draft pick in Central Oklahoma and Central Oregon played college football games (No. 94 overall) made his preseason debut on August 16, when the Browns won a 22-13 championship with the Philadelphia Eagles. He recorded 38 snapshots (58% of the offensive drama), and did not have 13 passes of the touchdown, lasting 143 yards, while an interception Hawks returned to TD.
Gabriel scored 72.2 for the Hawks passer, took two sacks, rushed for one yard twice, lost a turnover in the blast handover, and ran back to Pierre Strong Jr.
In Philadelphia, Gabriel leads three Clevelands to score (one touchdown and two shots). In the 2-minute drill, he entered 34 yards of 34 yards in 5.
Dillon Gabriel injured
Gabriel didn't play in the Browns' 30-10 preseason win with the Carolina Panthers because he's been dealing with hamstring tights.
Nate Ulrich is a sports columnist and sports writer for Akron Beacon Journal. Nate can be contacted at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. On Twitter: @bynateulrich.