Analyst Believes Browns Could Make Big Move With Dillon Gabriel

The Cleveland Browns’ quarterback strategy was interesting heading into 2025, to say the least. They traded for Kenny Pickett last March, and they also re-signed Joe Flacco in the weeks leading up to the 2025 NFL Draft.

With the knowledge that the team acquired those two players, it was somewhat surprising to fans and draft analysts that the Browns drafted not one, but two quarterbacks. Dillon Gabriel came off the board in the third, and then the team selected Shedeur Sanders in the fifth.

Both quarterbacks started the year in a competition with Flacco and Pickett. While it was an open competition at first, the Browns were very clear that they liked Gabriel a lot more than Sanders, and that he was going to get the first crack at the starting job when Flacco left.

As we now know, Gabriel’s first few NFL starts didn’t go according to plan, and when he got injured, the team naturally moved on to Sanders and never looked back. The Browns don’t necessarily have their quarterback situation figured out for 2026, so everything is on the table at this point.

One possibility that has been mentioned is drafting Drew Allar from Penn State, which could signal the end of Gabriel’s time with the team, at least, according to Daryl Ruiter.

“If they draft Drew Allar, they gotta get Dillon Gabriel out of here,” Ruiter said.

"I see the handwriting on the wall coming for that…if they draft Drew Allar, they gotta get Dillon Gabriel out of here."

🚨 @NickPedone12 and @RuiterWrongFAN on the thought process for #Browns GM Andrew Berry at QB right now pic.twitter.com/M6XYyE9Kj3

— 92.3 The Fan (@923TheFan) March 15, 2026

As Nick Pedone mentioned, if the Browns do pursue a quarterback in this year’s draft, whether it be Allar or someone else, the Browns’ quarterback room is going to fill up fast. Not only do they have Sanders and Gabriel still on the roster, but they also have Deshaun Watson and his situation to figure out.

If Kevin Stefanski were still the head coach, it would seem natural that Gabriel would be the first to go in this situation. Todd Monken’s view of the second-year QB could be different, so it’ll be interesting to see how the team navigates the next few months and what they’ll ultimately decide to do in the draft, position-wise.