The Cleveland Browns entered the 2026 offseason with four quarterbacks on the roster in Deshaun Watson, Shedeur Sanders, Dillon Gabriel, and rookie Taylen Green, and the math on keeping all four of them is not adding up. Bleacher Report’s Moe Moton took a look at the backup quarterback trade market around the league and put a realistic value on what Gabriel could fetch if the Browns decide to move him.
“Estimated trade value: 2027 sixth round pick, 2028 seventh round pick. As Watson and Sanders battle for the lead position, the Browns can shop Gabriel, who in limited action posted solid passing numbers. At 5’11”, 205 pounds, he’s a smaller quarterback, but teams may see him as a solid backup or potential fill-in starter,” Moton wrote.
The return is not going to blow anyone away, but the logic behind moving Gabriel is sound and the timing makes sense when you look at the depth chart situation.
Gabriel was selected by the Browns in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft out of Oregon with the 94th overall pick. He appeared in 10 games last season, going 1-5 as a starter while completing 59.5 percent of his passes for 937 yards, seven touchdowns, and two interceptions. He showed enough to suggest he can be a functional NFL backup, which is exactly the profile that teams around the league will pay late-round draft capital to acquire.
The issue for Cleveland is simple. If Taylen Green continues to impress during training camp and the preseason and locks up a roster spot, the Browns would be carrying four quarterbacks into the regular season. That is an extremely rare occurrence in the NFL and one that almost never makes football sense. Teams typically keep three quarterbacks on the active roster.
Gabriel is the most logical trade candidate in that scenario for the obvious reason. Watson and Sanders are the clear top two options in the competition for the starting job, and neither is going anywhere. Green is a developmental piece the Browns invested a sixth-round pick in and likely want to keep around to evaluate over the next couple of seasons.
The question is whether Green actually makes the roster and forces the Browns’ hand. If he does, do not be surprised to see Gabriel’s name pop up in trade discussions before the season begins.
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