The Cleveland Browns are in an interesting position with their quarterback situation heading into the 2026 season. They have a quarterback battle with Shedeur Sanders, Dillon Gabriel, and Deshaun Watson all competing for the starting job. With a new coach in Todd Monken, there is going to be an open competition, but there are some questions in terms of keeping all three on the roster. Let’s take a look at who one outlet believes the team should move on from.
The Cleveland Browns may trade away Dillon Gabriel before the season
Quarterback Dillon Gabriel throws a pass at the Browns mini camp in Berea on April 21, 2026.
The Cleveland Browns have a few quarterbacks on their roster and could look to move on from one of them before the season begins. Bleacher Report’s Moe Moton wrote an article discussing one trade that each team should consider before the season kicks off. For the Cleveland Browns, Moton suggests trading away Dillon Gabriel for a late 2027 pick. Below is his rationale for the trade:
“According to The Athletic’s Zac Jackson, Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders are battling for the starting job. Based on his report of the team’s quarterback competition, Gabriel will be a backup at best in the upcoming season.
Assuming the Browns target signal-callers in the 2027 draft, they should trade Gabriel before Week 1. As a rookie in six starts, he threw for 937 yards, seven touchdowns and two interceptions with a 59.5 percent completion rate. A team in need of a primary backup may be willing to take a flier on him.”
The Cleveland Browns seem to be ready to move on from quarterback Dillon Gabriel, who was a third-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. With the team seemingly having the starting quarterback battle between Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders, Gabriel looks to be expendable. With teams looking to get cheap backup options at the quarterback position, there is a chance they can receive more than a late 2027 pick.
Gabriel still has three seasons remaining on his rookie contract, but there are flaws in bringing him in. The Cleveland Browns quarterback is left-handed, which means if he is backing up a right-handed quarterback, the running back and play design basically needs to be flipped. While some quarterbacks have made it easy, it was one reason why Tua Tagovailoa’s options after being released by the Miami Dolphins were limited. Every other quarterback in the NFL currently is right-handed, so outside of Atlanta, things may be difficult for him to latch on.
There is certainly talent for the Cleveland Browns product, but there are going to be reservations as well for bringing him in. It will be intriguing to see if Gabriel begins the 2026 season on a different roster.
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