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Dillon Gabriel #8 of the Cleveland Browns interacts with Joe Flacco #16 of the Cincinnati Bengals
Buckle up, Cleveland Browns fans. We are just a little more than two weeks from the NFL draft, which will show a lot about where this team is right now and where it is headed in both the short and long terms. The Browns are drafting at No. 6 and No. 24, and it’s a longshot that the team will address its biggest need on Day 1–a quarterback. But it’s worth watching whether and when the Browns do add a rookie to the room, and what that might mean for the first quarterback they drafted last year, Dillon Gabriel.
It’s easy to forget Gabriel because he went 1-5 in the six starts he had last season for Cleveland, and according to new coach Todd Monken, it’s easy for the organization to forget about him, too. Asked last week about whether Gabriel has been at the team facility this offseason, Monken gave a surprising answer. “As far as I know, he has not,” Monken said. “I have not seen Dillon yet.”
There’s been ample trade speculation this offseason about Gabriel, and team beat writer Mary Kay Cabot did, in fact, leave open the possibility that Gabriel could be traded in the coming days.
Browns Could Get 7th-Round Swap for Dillon Gabriel
But what would the Browns net for a quarterback who was a star at UCF, Oklahoma and Oregon and holds the NCAA record for touchdowns thrown in a career, at 155? Don’t get too excited. The 2025 third-round pick could get the Browns something along the lines of a seventh-round pick swap.
At that point, though, it might be better just to keep Gabriel. A 2025 third-rounder for a 2026 seventh-round flier is a surprisingly flaccid draft haul for Cleveland.
Writes Cabot: “I do think the Browns could get something in return for Gabriel, even if it’s moving up in the seventh round or something like that. That would be on the table if they add another quarterback in the draft. If not, they’re more than happy to continue developing Gabriel and see what he can do with an upgraded supporting cast, and what Andrew Berry has described as ‘a more operational’ offense under Todd Monken. Gabriel was put in some tough situations last season, and even Joe Flacco struggled in the 2025 offense with that supporting cast.”
Cleveland Browns coach Todd Monken
GettyCleveland Browns coach Todd Monken
Is the Offense Any Better?
That does raise the bigger question that Cabot hints at here: Have the Browns done enough thus far to qualify as a team that has a “more operational” offense after last year’s disaster, an offense that rated as the worst in the league for the second straight season?
The realistic net gain in what they’ve done in free agency is bring in three middling-to-good offensive linemen–Elgton Jenkins, Zion Johnson and Tytus Howard–while doing precious little to add a much-needed upgrade at receiver or to add significant depth in other places.
As things stand, the rebuilt line is the only change, personnel-wise, to this offense. Perhaps it will be more operational because Monken, who had been the Ravens offensive coordinator for the past three years, will be the head coach. Perhaps it will be more operational because Monken will pick a quarterback early in the process and stick with him.
So far, though, three offensive linemen and a new play-caller are all that really separate this offense from last year.