The One Browns Quarterback Who Is Not in Competition To Start Next Season

While the starter for next season is up in the air, this QB may not get a chance.

Cleveland Browns coach Todd Monken, facing, shakes hands with general manager Andrew Berry as he takes the podium at his introductory news conference at the team's training facility Feb. 3, 2026, in Berea. | Jeff Lange / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

New Browns head coach Todd Monken has expressed interest in most of the quarterbacks in Cleveland’s room, including Sheduer Sanders, Deshaun Watson, and other possibilities, such as drafting one or signing a free agent. 

The Browns recently had former Alabama QB Ty Simpson in for a visit a couple of days ago and have been linked to adding another arm in the room in the offseason. With all of these options, is there any direction Cleveland is not planning on going in? According to recent reports, yes, there is.

Now, second-year quarterback Dillon Gabriel is “not really in the mix to start”, according to Mary Kay Cabot. If Cleveland were to add another QB, Gabriel is expected to be moved for a late-round pick. 

Cleveland drafted Gabriel with the 94th overall pick just last season. His first career start came in week five versus the Vikings in London, showing some flashes. Gabriel finished that game 19/33 for 190 yards, two touchdowns, and zero interceptions. The Browns did end up losing that game to Minnesota 21-17.

Why won't Gabriel start?

The rest of Gabriel’s starts were a bit underwhelming; his second start against Pittsburgh did not help his case, where he attempted 52 passes and passed for just 221 yards. He finished the season passing for 937 yards, seven touchdowns, and two interceptions.

While Gabriel did not turn the ball over very much, the reason for that can be tied back to his aggressiveness in passing the ball. Gabriel averaged just 5.1 yards per attempt. For reference, Trevor Lawrence was 16th in the league at 7.2 yards per attempt. 

Gabriel did not start enough games to be a qualified passer, but if he did, his 59.5% completion percentage would rank 32nd in the NFL. The combination of not taking chances, along with not being efficient with his passes, has sort of killed the idea that he can be a good starter in the league. 

Cleveland will do their due diligence on adding a different quarterback to their room, and after the recent number of QBs to start a game, you can’t blame the team for trying to get potential starters. 

Getting some return for Gabriel would be a dream scenario for the Browns, as there are a good number of teams still in need of a quarterback. This year’s draft class is not full of QB talent, so the most likely scenario would be a late-round pick getting the deal done. Miami, Arizona, and New York (Jets) are all teams that still have questions at the position. Gabriel could also go to a team in a backup role, as Atlanta or Los Angeles (Chargers) could be in the market.