Browns castoff Gabriel dominating with Falcons

Here's a sentence that doesn't make any sense:

The Browns deserve more time.

That's a ludicrous thing to say about a franchise that hasn't been to the playoffs since 2002, and only twice since 1990. But over the summer Cleveland hired former baseball executive Paul DePodesta to help Sashi Brown, who'd been the team's general counsel, figure out a way to rebuild the NFL's most moribund franchise.

And that work figures to take some time.

It is not going well so far, though. The Browns cut Taylor Gabriel, a diminutive wide receiver they'd signed as an undrafted free agent in 2014, back in September.

Well, it turns out he's really quite good at football. Here he is today for his new team, the Atlanta Falcons:

And here he is a few weeks back:

And earlier this month:

So he's scored a touchdown in each of Atlanta's last three games.

OK. Of course you have to take into account that the Falcons offense has many more weapons than the Browns' offense, meaning Gabriel can get lost a little bit as defenses focus on Julio Jones. And the Falcons have a legit NFL quarterback playing behind a serviceable line. The environment around Gabriel is much better, and if football teaches us anything it is that you generally need to be surrounded by good people to succeed.

Still. I can think of few NFL teams that wouldn't be helped by a player as shifty and speedy as Gabriel. And I can think of no NFL team that needs talent and speed and creativity more than the Cleveland Browns.