BEREA, Ohio (AP) — Browns offensive coordinator Tommy Rees accomplished some of his goals in his first game calling plays last week, a 27-20 loss to the New York Jets.
However, one area where Rees needs to make progress is helping Dillon Gabriel improve his accuracy.
Ahead of Cleveland’s game Sunday against the visiting Baltimore Ravens, the rookie quarterback’s 58.6% completion rate is next-to-last among the 32 single-season qualifiers (at least 14 attempts per team game). According to Next Gen Stats, Gabriel’s expected completion percentage is 63.9%, with the minus-5.2% difference third-worst in the league.
On Thursday, Rees couldn’t point to an overarching explanation for Gabriel’s accuracy problems.
“Is there something mechanical or fundamental we want to correct? Is there something from an understanding during the week’s game plan that we want to correct? Sometimes quarterbacks miss; sometimes rain or weather can affect it — all those things can affect it. So, you try to boil each play down into its own individual play and then what caused this, and then how can we correct that?” he said. “If there’s, ‘Hey, I wasn’t quite sure on the coverage,’ then that’s where we dig back in as coaches and talk through the reason why we’re doing things. And you know, all those are really important.”
The Browns highlighted Gabriel’s accuracy and his ability to compensate for his 5-foot-11 frame when they drafted him in the third round. Last season at Oregon, he completed 72.9% of his passes, ranking third in the Football Bowl Subdivision.
“You know, it’s always something you continue to work on and want to get good at, and I think it’s striving for every inch, you know, and being able to catch runners and allow them to get more receiving yards after the catch,” Gabriel said. “So, being accurate in that way and then giving guys a chance. So it’s something that you want to pride yourself on, continue to get better at.”
In college, Gabriel didn’t face the pass rush that he has seen this year. Cleveland has allowed a 42.2% pressure rate, second-most in the league. Under pressure, Gabriel is averaging only 4.8 yards per attempt, fourth-lowest.
Rees had Gabriel rolling out more and took better advantage of his scrambling ability. Gabriel had five rushes for 54 yards against the Jets.
Coach Kevin Stefanski also said Gabriel was not solely to blame for his accuracy problems.
“There are things that I know Dillon can do better and will do better as a young quarterback. And I know there are things that we as a staff can do better, and putting our guys in position,” Stefanski said. “I understand the individual aspect of this, but there’s also the collective aspect of this.”
Besides rolling Gabriel out more, Rees got wide receiver Jerry Jeudy involved early, which led to him having a season-high six catches for 78 yards, including his first touchdown of the season.
Rees said Gabriel has graded out as the coaching staff wanted during his five starts, pointing to his preparation as a positive.
The coaches’ assessment of Gabriel hasn’t been enough to silence fans’ calls for fellow rookie Shedeur Sanders to get some playing time.
Gabriel and the Browns (2-7) will face a Ravens defense that has improved during a three-game winning streak. Baltimore had 12 quarterback hits and forced two turnovers in last week’s 27-19 win over Minnesota.
“They have a veteran group up front that has good rush patterns, good gains, and stunts,” Rees said. “They use personnel in multiple ways. So, the running backs have to be tied into it. Our line’s got to be tied into it. Our tight ends, the pass catchers themselves. It’s always a race between them and the pass rushers to get open. And our whole group needs to understand how critical that is.”
After missing practice on Wednesday, the Baltimore Ravens saw their star quarterback, Lamar Jackson, return to the practice field on Thursday. He was absent on Wednesday due to knee soreness, but just as Head Coach John Harbaugh anticipated, Jackson was back in full capacity on Thursday.
While Jackson’s health was never too much in question ahead of their Week 11 matchup with the Cleveland Browns, it was still worrisome to see him pop up on the injury report with a knee issue. The two-time MVP is taking snaps behind one of the worst offensive lines in football this year, especially when it comes to the interior. Guards Andrew Vorhees and Daniel Faalele have struggled, and certainly have not helped in Jackson’s return from his hamstring injury.
Still, Jackson will be ready to go on Sunday. Despite the poor performance of the offensive line, he has shown he can lead a steady, winning offense since he retook the field in Week 9, and is as confident as ever heading into their bout in Cleveland.
Following Thursday’s practice, Jackson talked to the media about how he felt after being out of action the day before. When asked if he expects teams to blitz him more when he shows up on the injury report, he gave a cool, calm, and collected response.
“That’s cool with me,” Jackson said. “I’m cool with it. We’re gonna see.”
In the past, blitzes have given the Ravens’ offense problems. However, ever since Jackson has made significant growth as a passer, those problems have not loomed as large. The lackluster offensive line may have issues, but as far as Jackson is concerned, he is ready for any potential challenge that may lie ahead.
The Browns have one of the fiercest defenses in the NFL in 2025. Through nine games, they are allowing the second-least amount of yards per game at 264.9 yards, and their pass rush group has played a massive role in that.
Their defensive front is headed by All-Pro defensive end Myles Garrett, who is likely the best defensive player in the league. Cleveland has 27 sacks this year, which ranks tied for eighth in the NFL, and 11 of those have come from Garrett.
In Baltimore’s Week 2 contest against the Browns, Jackson was sacked three times. Garrett, Devin Bush, and Cameron Thomas were the culprits. The Ravens still put up 41 points in that one, but defense and special teams helped out in that department.
While the Ravens’ offense line will likely have trouble against Cleveland’s defensive front, Jackson’s always shown an innate ability to stay composed when the pocket breaks down. If that happens again in Week 11, the 28-year-old should prove up for the challenge.