Cleveland Browns Appear Focused on Boosting Dillon Gabriel’s Trade Value

The Cleveland Browns made a surprising move last year by drafting Dillon Gabriel in the third round. Fast forward to today and he is the third-string quarterback as the Browns open camp.

Gabriel is clearly the odd man out in the quarterback room. The starting battle is down to Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders, while rookie Taylen Green is the new, young unproven option in the quarterback room.

So where does this leave Gabriel?

Dillon Gabriel receives praise from his head coach

New Browns head coach Todd Monken shared some words of support for Gabriel on Friday.

Todd Monken on Dillon Gabriel: “I thought he looked really good yesterday. Did some really good things. The guy’s a good quarterback … He prepares like he’s gonna get first-team reps.” https://t.co/b9NVjgz4RQ
— Daniel Oyefusi (@DanielOyefusi) July 31, 2026

The notable part of his comments, per ESPN's Daniel Oyefusi, came when he said Gabriel is someone who "prepares like he's gonna get first-team reps."

Monken did also add Gabriel was a good quarterback, but the praise came in terms of his preparation. Not his actual play on the field. That says everything about his chances to even see the field in 2026.

Cutting Gabriel would be the easy move. Yet the fact he was a third-round pick just a year ago means the team wants some sort of value in return for moving on from him. That is where a potential trade comes into play, and Monken's comments only help add some value to Gabriel's name.

Gabriel's value is low and at this point the Browns would be lucky to get a Day 3 pick in return for him. But what team would even send draft capital for the southpaw?

The Atlanta Falcons stand out as the obvious choice for several key reasons. The first, and most notable, is the fact Kevin Stefanski is the new coach in Atlanta. The story in Cleveland last year was how Gabriel was a Stefanski pick. If he truly thought so highly of Gabriel, getting the young quarterback into his locker room as a backup isn't the worst idea.

Then comes the fact the Falcons have two left-handed quarterbacks who are both dealing with injuries. Tua Tagovailoa and Michael Penix Jr. are already working through injuries, as the former deals with a back issue and the latter is recovering from another knee surgery. They just need bodies at this point and Gabriel is someone who could run the offense while the others recover.

Trading Gabriel would not be a move that would make major headlines. But it's clear the team wants something in return after whiffing on him in the third round of last year's draft. That means fans can expect plenty of Gabriel praise from his coaches as camp continues.

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