The Cleveland Browns’ decision to trade Kenny Pickett to the Las Vegas Raiders was immediately met with varying opinions.
On one hand, this was an opportunity for the Browns to reduce their quarterback room to three, giving opportunities to players at other positions.
On the other hand, the Browns are now left with longtime veteran Joe Flacco and two rookies, Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel.
Both had some flashes of brilliance during training camp and the preseason, but neither did enough to take the starting job away from Flacco.
Sanders has been the bigger story of the two players, given who his father is and the controversy of him falling in the draft, but Gabriel was a third-round pick for a reason.
While he hasn’t gotten much buzz to this point, some people believe he’s better than Sanders and should get more recognition.
Analyst and former NFL QB Dan Orlovsky believes this to be the case, which he noted in a recent post on X.
Orlovsky was a big fan of what Gabriel did at the collegiate level and thinks he should be Flacco’s backup moving forward.
“Dillon Gabriel’s tape is very impressive. Should clearly be the #2 QB for the @Browns,” Orlovsky said.
Dillon Gabriel’s tape is very impressive. Should clearly be the #2 QB for the @Browns
— Dan Orlovsky (@danorlovsky7) August 25, 2025
The Browns’ coaching staff might disagree, but they haven’t named a true QB2 at this point.
This team has struggled to find a consistent quarterback for years, but is certainly hoping that one of these young players pans out and becomes their starter for the foreseeable future.
Otherwise, it’ll likely be back to the drawing board in the 2026 NFL Draft, where the Browns are loaded with picks and should have plenty of opportunities to take a higher-caliber player.
NEXT: Insider Believes Browns Made Right Move With Kenny Pickett
