TheCleveland Browns open their preseason on Friday night against the Carolina Panthers. Cleveland will be starting fifth-round rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders. The 23-year-old quarterback wasn’t supposed to start, but with Joe Flacco not playing and Kenny Pickett and Dilon Gabriel dealing with hamstring injuries, the next man up was Sanders.
Sanders was the second quarterback the Browns drafted this past April. In the third round, Cleveland took Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel. Gabriel, who stands at 5-foot-11, has gotten high praise from the Browns front office and coaching staff.
Cleveland Browns Are Treating Gabriel Like A 1st-Round Pick
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Cleveland Browns quarterback Dillon Gabriel (5) throws during NFL training camp practice at the Cleveland Browns training facility, Wednesday, July 23, 2025, in Berea, Ohio.
Even though Gabriel won’t see any action on Friday night, there is a good chance he will play in the next two preseason games and get some good reps. During a radio segment on Cleveland sports radio station 92.3 The Fan, Browns reporter Darly Ruiter, who’s been at training camp every day, had a lot to say on how the Browns are handling Gabriel.
“Well, they aren’t treating Dillon Gabriel like a 3rd round pick… they’re treating him like a 1st round pick,” Ruiter said.
Ruiter knows what he is talking about, and it does seem like the Browns have been trying to get Gabriel tons of reps with the first team.
Many people around the NFL believed that the Browns reached for Gabriel, taking him in the third round, so they seem to be high on him.
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Cleveland Browns quarterback Dillon Gabriel (5) gets ready during day two of NFL rookie minicamp at the Cleveland Browns training facility on Saturday, May 10, 2025, in Berea, Ohio.