Dillon Gabriel Leads Shedeur Sanders in Cleveland Browns Quarterback Competition?

Cleveland Browns quarterback Dillon Gabriel was selected in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft. The former Oregon Ducks star was not the only quarterback the Browns selected in this draft. Two rounds after taking Gabriel, the Browns drafted former Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders.

These two rookies now share a quarterback room with three other Browns quarterbacks; Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, and Deshaun Watson. Where do Gabriel and Sanders fall in the pecking order as the Browns Training Camp is about to begin.

Dillon Gabriel to Start Over Shedeur Sanders in 2025?

Jun 12, 2025; Berea, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns quarterback Dillon Gabriel (5) and quarterback Shedeur Sanders (12) during mini camp at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images | Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

On a recent episode of The Dawgs - A Cleveland Browns Podcast, the topic of these two rookies quarterbacks potentially starting was discussed by host Josh Aul.

“On Cleveland.com…they were discussing how both the Browns rookie quarterbacks are being positioned, in their opinion, to start games this upcoming season,” Aul said. “How each quarterback is on a completely different developmental path for the summer. They said Shedeur Sanders is the one being ‘carefully nurtured’ in a controlled environment and Dillon Gabriel is being ‘thrown directly into the fire against the teams best defenders.’”

Is Dillon Gabriel really that far ahead of Shedeur Sanders? pic.twitter.com/Rob1Lwt72Z
— The Dawgs - A Cleveland Browns Podcast (@thedawgspodcast) June 15, 2025

Aul also added that the report said that Sanders has been practicing on a field with the second and third stringers, separate from the field that Dillon Gabriel and Kenny Pickett have been practicing on.

“During the pre-draft process…one of the big pluses in his (Shedeur Sanders’s) column was ‘most pro ready quarterback in this class,’” Guy said. “It really seems like the Browns believe that Dillon Gabriel is the one who is more pro ready and Shedeur is the one who needs a little more time to acclimate to the NFL landscape.”

Gabriel and Sanders are both coming off of very successful 2024 campaigns in their final seasons in college. Gabriel helped lead Oregon to a Big Ten Championship and was also named a Heisman Trophy finalist. Sanders was a big reason for Colorado's resurgence as a program and was named the 2024 Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year.

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A Crowded Cleveland Browns Quarterback Room in 2025

Cleveland Browns quarterbacks Kenny Pickett, left, Dillon Gabriel, center, and Joe Flacco warm up during an practice at the Browns training facility May 28, 2025, in Berea, Ohio. | Jeff Lange / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Browns quarterback room consists of Dillon Gabriel, Shedeur Sanders, Kenny Pickett, Joe Flacco, and Deshaun Watson. Only Watson was on the team last season, but his status for the 2025 season is still unknown due to his torn achilles he suffered last year.

The Browns signed Pickett and Flacco in free agency and then surprised everyone by drafting two quarterbacks in Gabriel and Sanders.

It was a season to forget for the Browns in 2024. They went 3-14, finishing in last place in the AFC North just a season removed from making the playoffs at 11-6. Despite this disaster of a 2024 season, the Browns stuck with coach Kevin Stefanski. Stefanski is a two-time NFL Coach of the Year winner and is looking to get his team back on track in 2025.