Browns Have a Dillon Gabriel Problem Whether They Want To Admit It or Not

Cleveland Browns quarterback Dillon Gabriel could be the odd man out of this crowded room, and it's not entirely his fault.

Cleveland Browns quarterback Dillon Gabriel (6) runs through drills during the first day of training camp, July 29, 2026, at the Cross Country Mortgage Campus in Berea, Ohio. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The Cleveland Browns have a dilemma when it comes to 2025 third-round pick Dillon Gabriel.

Now, anyone inside the walls of Cleveland’s facility will push back on this notion. They all speak glowingly of the 5-foot-11 southpaw out of Oregon.

But in a crowded, four-man quarterback room, Browns general manager Andrew Berry only has two more preseason games remaining to get a full evaluation on last year’s top 100 draft pick. 

Browns On SI has previously reported hearing from league sources that an AFC North foe was planning on drafting Taylen Green in Round 6, before Cleveland snagged him with the top choice in the round. Browns head coach Todd Monken is said to like big, athletic quarterbacks – and Green certainly fits that mold, making it unlikely that he’s released. 

What's Gabriel's future in Cleveland?

Gabriel isn’t competing for Cleveland’s starting quarterback job. That’s Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders. However, Gabriel has spent much of training camp working with the second-string offense, solidifying Cleveland’s belief in him as a long-term backup. This is the second offensive coaching staff that really likes Gabriel, as he's a smart player that comes across very well.

See, after the Browns were criticized for overdrafting an undersized Gabriel, they actually had a sound rebuttal. He started 63 games across six seasons with three different college football programs. That's an expansive experience that would help an older rookie thrive.

The argument was, that even if Gabriel is a smart guy that is around the organization as a backup quarterback for 10 years, that’s an investment worth making in the third round. 

The problem is, the more that Gabriel plays, the less it even looks like he could pass for a backup quarterback in the league. His physical limitations have him overmatched in every game, and interception in Cleveland’s preseason opener certainly contradicted the “super computer” label that he received a year ago.

In a hypothetical world where the Browns entertain trade offers for Sanders if Watson wins Cleveland’s starting quarterback job, rolling the dice with Gabriel would be a massive risk. On the field, the 25-year-old has shown almost no reason to believe that he’d be capable of quarterbacking the team to winning results as a backup.

19 games from now (two preseason and 17 regular season), the Browns will need to determine if they need to draft a quarterback in April. They will almost certainly need one.

And if they’re entering 2027 with a premium, first-round quarterback, they should probably sign an established, free agent veteran. That’s the way successful teams do it. Which would leave Gabriel without a serious role.

If there’s an opportunity for the Browns to bail on the Gabriel project, they should take it. If someone came calling with a draft pick or swap, it could help clear the logjam and help Berry plan for the future of this position group. It's not fair to Gabriel to keep him around, especially if he has a minimal future in Cleveland.