Joe Milton III #10 of the Dallas Cowboys is battling Sam Howell for the backup QB job.
Getty
The Cleveland Browns already have four quarterbacks on the team, though technically just three on the roster with Dillon Gabriel currently on the injured reserve list (IR) with a back injury that will sideline him for the first month of the season, so why not discuss the possibility of a fifth?
Jared Mueller of SB Nation’s Dawgs By Nature explored the notion of Cleveland claiming quarterback Joe Milton III off of the NFL waiver wire following the Dallas Cowboys‘ decision to release him on Monday, August 31.
“Just like Cleveland, the Dallas Cowboys continued their roster juggling on Monday, waiving QB Joe Milton, who many believed would be the team’s primary backup to QB Dak Prescott,” Mueller wrote.
Cleveland holds the No. 6 spot in the current waiver wire order, which could position the team for first crack at Milton.
“Given Milton’s athletic ability and big arm, he fits HC Todd Monken’s traits for a quarterback,” Mueller continued. “While Cleveland could choose to claim Milton and waive a player at another position, that seems unlikely. Instead, the addition of Milton would likely lead to the departure of either Shedeur Sanders or the rookie [Taylen] Green. With Milton’s experience and Green entering his first season, Sanders seems like the odd man out if the Browns were to claim Milton.”
Browns Might Consider Trading Shedeur Sanders Were They to Claim Joe Milton III From Waiver Wire
Browns QB Shedeur Sanders is getting heat for the NFL ending the Pro Bowl.
GettyQuarterback Shedeur Sanders of the Cleveland Browns.
Were the Browns to bring Milton in, and were that decision to lead the team to a parting of ways with Sanders, it’s far more likely that Cleveland would try to trade Sanders than cut him.
Sanders was a fifth-round pick in the 2025 draft and started the final seven games down the stretch for the Browns during his rookie campaign. He spent all offseason battling with Deshaun Watson for the QB1 role, which Watson ended up winning in late August.
However, Sanders figures to enter the regular season as the backup quarterback and has a strong chance to get back into a starting role if/when Watson struggles, which all signs point to being a likely outcome.
Dillon Gabriel Remains Most Likely Trade Candidate in Browns’ QB Room
Cleveland Browns quarterback Dillon Gabriel put up three touchdowns in his lone preseason start against the Patriots.
GettyCleveland Browns quarterback Dillon Gabriel.
Cleveland’s decision to keep four quarterbacks rostered through the initial 53-man cut process was curious enough in the first place and led to widespread speculation that one signal-caller could end up on the trade block.
Gabriel was, and still remains, the most likely candidate. However, that probably isn’t going to happen now that he’s on IR for at least a month.
Depending on how the Browns’ first four games play out, Gabriel could return to the roster healthy and step into a QB2 role behind a promoted Sanders and ahead of a benched Watson.
Otherwise, if Watson is still the starter and Sanders remains his backup, Gabriel could be an immediate trade candidate following a strong showing in the team’s preseason finale against the New England Patriots.
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Max Dible covers the NFL, NBA and MLB for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, Chicago Bears and Cleveland Browns. He covered local and statewide news as a reporter for West Hawaii Today and served as news director for BigIslandNow.com and Pacific Media Group's family of Big Island radio stations before joining Heavy. More about Max Dible
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