Cleveland Browns quarterback Dillon Gabriel faces an uncertain future.
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Cleveland Browns quarterback Dillon Gabriel faces an uncertain future.
The Cleveland Browns may still value what Dillon Gabriel brings to the quarterback room, but he’s not expected to factor into the team’s plans on the field anytime soon.
Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com delivered a harsh assessment of Gabriel’s standing with the organization in her latest Q&A, acknowledging that the third-round pick has upside but isn’t part of the starting equation heading into 2026.
“I know the Browns still like Gabriel and believe he has good upside potential. But he’s started six games for them and he’s not really in the mix to start for them this season,” Cabot said. “If they don’t trade him, which they’re open to, they keep him as a developmental QB on a rookie contract who can start games for them if necessary.”
Cabot also pointed to the circumstances Gabriel faced last season during his six starts.
“With more experience and better weapons around him, Gabriel might prove to be a serviceable starting or backup QB,” Cabot said.
Gabriel finished his rookie year completing 59.5% of his passes for 937 yards, seven touchdowns and two interceptions. He went 1-5 as a starter.
“He may be forgotten externally, but he’s not forgotten to us,” Berry said, per ESPN’s Daniel Oyefusi. “(He’s) gonna handle everything within his control … Dillon’s a guy that has a bright future in this league.”
If Cleveland shops him, it’d likely be a Day 3 pick the Browns get in return.
Browns Having Open Competition for Starting QB
While Gabriel’s future grows murkier, Shedeur Sanders appears to be the frontrunner. However, new head coach Todd Monken has declared an open competition for the starting quarterback role.
“I don’t think there’s enough on film over the last couple years, one way or the other, to say, ‘Boy, we have our starter at quarterback yet,'” Monken said at the combine. “Whether internally or externally.”
Sanders took over the starting role after a mid-season concussion knocked Gabriel out of the lineup. General manager Andrew Berry said at the combine that Sanders “grew a lot from start one to start seven.”
But there’s also a growing belief that Deshaun Watson, who missed all of 2025 recovering from two Achilles surgeries, could make a legitimate push.
Browns Will Look Outside the Building for QB Help
The quarterback free agent market is thin, but several names have been linked to the Browns. Malik Willis is considered the top free agent option after his strong fill-in stint in Green Bay, though he could command 20-30 million per year. Kyler Murray and Geno Smith are both expected to be released at the start of the league year and could be signed at or near the league minimum due to guaranteed money still owed by their former teams.
On the trade front, San Francisco’s Mac Jones and Indianapolis’ Anthony Richardson have both surfaced as potential targets.
In the draft, this isn’t considered a strong year for quarterbacks. The 2027 class is widely viewed as significantly better. That said, the Browns have shown interest in Ty Simpson, who is considered the second-best quarterback in the class behind Fernando Mendoza.