For the entirety of this offseason, the Cleveland Browns quarterback competition has been between Shedeur Sanders and Deshaun Watson. They have been going back and forth throughout camp so far and taking turns with the first-team offense with Sanders largely outperforming Watson up to this point, but for what it’s worth, third-stringer Dillon Gabriel is turning a few heads as well.
Gabriel went 1-5 in his six starts last season and threw seven touchdowns to just two interceptions, which is an impressive ratio, but he completed just 59.5 percent of his passes and threw for fewer than 1,000 yards over that time frame, which was alarming considering his inability to push the ball downfield. His performance has him firmly out of the mix to win the starting role, but he has done a solid job in camp thus far and could be earning himself some more reps if Watson and Sanders can’t separate from the pack.
Scott Petrak of The Chronicle-Telegram shared a clip from Gabriel’s media session on Wednesday where he touched on his experience at camp so far. The young lefty QB was asked about earning more reps, and he stayed humble and said he is just focusing on improvement.
“It just depends if you’re in two-spot or one-spot one day. Just mastering what I can and the reps I do get. Continuing to improve, that’s always been what it’s about,” Gabriel said.
Browns QB Dillon Gabriel on earning more reps. pic.twitter.com/PWC2jRt3gl
— Scott Petrak ct (@ScottPetrak) August 5, 2026
Monken recently revealed that Watson and Sanders will each start one of the first two preseason games, so there’s not currently a path for Gabriel to compete for the starting job. That doesn’t mean he can’t still have a productive camp and improve his stock, because if he continues to improve and one of the two contenders for the starting role either flops or gets traded, he could earn himself the backup job.
Gabriel has protected the ball and been fairly accurate in camp so far, but he has shown more of a willingness to take some shots downfield. That is by far his biggest weakness as a quarterback, and if it’s something he managed to improve upon this offseason, it could be the difference between him being out of the league in a couple of years versus him sticking around for a decade or more.
A lot can happen between now and Week 1, but it’s encouraging to see Gabriel already turning some heads and making improvements. He was thrust into a tough spot last season and took it in stride, and while he isn’t getting much attention due to being out of the mix to win the starting job, he is still an important part of this team and his story is far from over.
NEXT: Deshaun Watson Has Big Day On Wednesday In Training Camp
