Dillon Gabriel's NFL debut showed glimpses of his talent... but the door is ajar for Shedeur Sanders to break through

Dillon Gabriel will not have expected the buildup to his NFL debut to be about his rival for the job's refusal to talk.

But after Shedeur Sanders' midweek mime act for journalists, Gabriel would have been looking to make a statement after being named the Cleveland Browns starter for the trip to London.

The third-round Draft pick was elevated in place of Joe Flacco, who has looked every one of his 40 years in his stuttering start to the season.

Flacco was benched after throwing just two touchdowns in four games with the Browns starting 1-3. It was always a case of when Dillon might get his shot, but this was surely a lot sooner than the front office would have envisaged when they brought Flacco back in the offseason.

There is never an easy time to make an NFL debut, but Gabriel might have found himself wishing for something a little easier than the Minnesota Vikings. For all their own struggles at quarterback, they remain strong defensively thanks to Brian Flores. 

The Minnesota Vikings' defensive coordinator went into the game with a 9-1 record against rookie quarterbacks as head coach or DC, but in many ways this made it something of a free hit for Gabrlel. 

The Browns, however, were keen to see if Gabriel is a man around whom they can build a gameplan to get their season back on track.

Flores extended that record to 10-1 as they limited Gabriel to 190 yards and sacked him twice in a 21-17 victory that sent the Vikings to 3-2.

But that doesn't tell the full story for a quarterback who showed glimpses of his ability. It was little surprise that his first play was a nerve-settling hand-off to Quinshon Judkins for four yards, negated by a holding penalty. 

His first possession also featured a 12-yard completion to David Njoku, his second saw a wildly overthrown ball to Isiah Bond in the endzone before he connected with tight end Harold Fannin for a first NFL touchdown for both rookies.

His completion to Njoku, who rose highest to claim the ball in traffic to set up the field goal at the end of the first half, suggested a player growing into his environment. Though the overthrown pass into the end zone on third down showed a player who still has a way to go.

There was another wild endzone ball in the third quarter shortly after the Browns had gone behind 14-10, but on the next play he found tight end David Njoku for a score. In three quarters of NFL football he had managed as many passing touchdowns as Flacco had in four games.

That the second touchdown drive leaned heavily on the running prowess of Judkins (who does already look to be the real deal) said plenty, but there were also 33 yards from Gabriel's arm. 

Some of his longest completions were a couple of dump-offs to his running backs - Kevin Stefanski is no playcalling fool - but Gabriel was at least able to complete the assignment, not an accusation that could always be levelled at Flacco in the first few weeks.

So what did we get? Important third-down conversion? Check. Adept use of the feet? Check. Poise in the face of rushers? Check. Use of all his receivers? Check. 

That's not to say he was perfect or that he didn't get sacked (he did, twice) but it allowed the offense to move down the field, and the clock was always against him in his attempt at a game-winning drive.

The question that the Browns need answering this season is whether, in their crowded QB room, there is one who they see as the future of the franchise. They hold two first-round picks in the 2026 Draft (with one likely to be top eight at least barring a turnaround in fortunes this season) so they will be well placed to go and get their guy next season if they feel it is necessary.

The Browns don't need to decide on the basis of this transatlantic trip, of course, but they know the clock is ticking on the decision that could go a long way to undoing the damage of the shambolic Deshaun Watson trade.

With each passing week, the talk around Shedeur Sanders' future gets louder and while Gabriel's position as QB1 was strengthened by this outing, he didn't do enough to fully silence those hoping for the Colorado man to get his change.

Gabriel's final stat line of 19 of 33 for 190 yards and two touchdowns was not one to have the passing purists purring, but there were no interceptions and enough promise that it is likely to end Flacco’s time as an NFL starter.

One thing is for sure: Gabriel will have learnt plenty from this game, but whether the Browns have remains to be seen.