3 Potential Trade Destinations for Browns’ Quarterback Dillon Gabriel

With training camp approaching fast, the quarterback battle centered around Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders has commanded the spotlight throughout the offseason for the Cleveland Browns.

That has left Dillon Gabriel, a third-round pick last year out of Oregon, on the outside looking in, with little to no chance of being a factor this year at the most important position in all of sports despite being named the team’s starter last year once Cleveland dumped Joe Flacco.

With the Browns investing a sixth-rounder this year on Taylen Green out of Arkansas, the team looks set on the third-stringer position, a developmental passer with an eye on the medium-term.

What is Dillon Gabriel's ceiling in the NFL?@HanfordDixon29 is rooting for the kid, but isn't holding his breath that it works out. pic.twitter.com/NnTcX6REu9
— BIGPLAY Cleveland (@BIGPLAYcle) July 6, 2026

Gabriel is in no position to compete for a starting job in the NFL right now, and he might not be in position to compete for the backup position on most rosters either, but there could be some value in bringing him in via trade. Let’s take a look at three possible destinations:

Atlanta Falcons

By far, the most logical landing spot would be Atlanta, where he would reunite with his head coach and offensive coordinator from last year, Kevin Stefanski and Tommy Rees.

However, there’s more than just familiarity as the logic behind this potential move. Currently, the top two passers on the Falcons’ roster are lefties, just like Gabriel. Having an all-out left-handed quarterback room makes life easier for all pass-catchers, since the ball spins and therefore behaves differently in the air than when it’s thrown by a right-handed quarterback.

Trevor Siemian is third-stringer in Atlanta right now, and a trade for Gabriel doesn’t sound like a stretch. Maybe a conditional pick could also be thrown into the mix, where Cleveland could gain an experienced mentor-type quarterback to help behind the scenes with Sanders and Green on the little things.

Indianapolis Colts

It’s been a while since it was reported that the Colts had given former first-rounder Anthony Richardson permission to seek a trade, with many mentioning Cleveland as a nice landing spot.

We’re not totally convinced Richardson could make much of a difference on the Browns’ current roster as the third option, but Indy moving on from him by trading him elsewhere would impact the Colt’s depth chart dramatically, leaving Riley Leonard and Easton Stick to battle it out as Daniel Jones’ backup. This is a quarterback battle where a guy like Gabriel with some starting experience could definitely get involved, maybe beating out Stick for that third spot.

The return for Gabriel, maybe a conditional seventh-rounder if he sticks on the active roster for a number of games, would be totally worth exploring for the Browns.

Jacksonville Jaguars

Another factor that could come into play for a team that could be interested in Gabriel, could be the possibility of shedding some cap dollars with the trade.

The Jaguars, for example, are the team currently in possession of the fifth-least cap space entering into the season, and they’ll likely have to find some cash to for wideouts Parker Washington and Brian Thomas Jr. soon.

Unloading the cap hit of a guy like defensive tackle Arik Armstead or offensive tackle Walker Little could make sense for the Jaguars after the June 1st deadline has passed. Armstead’s trade would free up almost $15 million, while moving on from now backup Little would free up around $12 million.

Of course, neither one of those trades would work straight up for Gabriel, he’d have to be a throw-in as part of a greater package. But, there’s no denying he could potentially win out the third-stringer spot over Joey Aguilar and Bradley Carter, so there might be some benefit there.

Armstead’s age -- 32 -- might not align with what’s perceived as a youth movement in Cleveland, but having Watson compete for the starting gig doesn’t, either. He could become a nice mentor for former first-rounder Mason Graham on the inside. Meanwhile, Little could potentially end up starting on the left side if first-rounder Spencer Fano can’t make the switch, which isn’t a given.

Gabriel’s services won’t be in high demand, but Cleveland should find if there’s any market for the second-year passer before cutting him outright, if that’s the end result before the season starts. New head coach Todd Monken hasn’t really included Gabriel in any reference to the starting job competition, so it would seem his stay with the team will be a short one. Why not get something -- anything -- out of it?

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