Three quarterbacks entered the Cleveland Browns‘ 2026 offseason with legitimate arguments for roster spots. Rich Eisen thinks that number has effectively shrunk to two.
The longtime host of The Rich Eisen Show analyzed head coach Todd Monken’s recent comments about the Browns’ quarterback room on Thursday and came away with a specific takeaway about where Dillon Gabriel stands relative to the other competitors.
“We just heard why Dillon Gabriel’s wearing No. 6, because Monken didn’t mention Dillon’s in the running for starter for this team,” Eisen said. “Shedeur has clearly separated himself from Dillon Gabriel. The Dillon Gabriel vs. Shedeur days appear to be over. He’s talking about Deshaun and Shedeur.”
Eisen acknowledged that Monken could theoretically include all three quarterbacks under a broader competition umbrella, but said the signal from the head coach was specific enough to read.
Cleveland Browns quarterback Dillon Gabriel is seen wearing number 6 during the second day of the team’s mandatory minicamp at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus, June 10, 2026, in Berea, Ohio.
“Some coaches will be like, ‘The whole quarterback room is involved. Everybody. Have your head on a swivel if you’re in the quarterback room because I might call your number — 8 or 6.’ It sure sounds like Dillon Gabriel’s got a mountain to climb here. That’s what that sounded like to me. He lost his number and apparently his No. 2 on the depth chart ranking.”
Why this changes the narrative around how Cleveland’s QB race unfolds
GM Andrew Berry reinforced the two-player framing during his own media availability earlier this week.
Rich Eisen suggested Dillon Gabriel may be the odd man out in the Browns’ quarterback competition, noting that Shedeur Sanders appears to have separated himself while the battle is increasingly focused on Deshaun Watson and Sanders as the top contenders.
“We just heard why… pic.twitter.com/BvzBhHyBuI
— BrownsNation.com (@BrownsNationcom) June 11, 2026
Appearing on The Schrager Hour, Berry named Watson and Sanders specifically, praising Watson’s health and return to practice while calling Sanders’ spring “incredible strides” with natural accuracy and command of the huddle. Gabriel was not mentioned.
“In terms of quarterback, it’s been good competition this spring between Shedeur Sanders and Deshaun Watson. It’s good to see Deshaun healthy, moving around, learning this new system. He’s had a really strong spring. Shedeur, he’s made incredible strides over the last eight weeks. Really, really pleased with his progress. He’s naturally accurate as a quarterback. His command of the operation, control of the huddle, all of those things. You can tell that with a year under his belt, he’s making those strides.”
Gabriel, the 2024 Heisman Trophy winner from Oregon, was a seventh-round pick by the Browns in the 2026 draft and started at a salary minimum.
He was always viewed as a developmental option, but the expectations around a seventh-round quarterback are different from the second and fifth overall picks competing above him.
Watson is 30 years old and hasn’t played for like a year and half now. Sanders had his stumbles as a rookie but has been praised repeatedly this spring by both the coaching staff and the front office.
Gabriel’s path now depends on whether the Browns see enough in him to keep three quarterbacks on the 53-man roster.