It looks to be a foregone conclusion that the competition to be the Cleveland Browns’ starting quarterback this season has come down to either Deshaun Watson or Shedeur Sanders. While that may well be true, it does not mean Dillon Gabriel is completely out of the picture.
The third-round pick from the 2025 NFL Draft may still have a role on the team, be it as the backup to one of the other two, or as the important third-string emergency QB. That is why the Browns have not and will not give up on Gabriel at this point.
That is also why analyst Lance Reisland revealed why he’s not writing off Gabriel, either, saying that as long as he’s on the roster, he deserves respect and a fair chance to compete and improve.
“I have made it very clear that I think Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders have moved themselves in front. That’s a lot different than saying Dillon Gabriel has no chance. When I look at Dillon Gabriel, I want to see what he can do. I want to continue to coach him. But to say this guy has no chance to even compete before the pads go on, in a new offense, with a new head coach, with a new offensive coordinator, just doesn’t make a lot of sense to me. I want to evaluate every player on the roster. If you’re a team looking to win, I’m not gonna pass on a guy because of what happened before,” Reisland said.
"(Deshaun & Shedeur) are in front. But to say (Dillon Gabriel) has no chance to even compete before the pads come on, with a new head coach, with a new offensive coordinator, just makes no sense to me. I want to evaluate every player on the roster."
📞@LanceReisland on why he's… pic.twitter.com/exIImXMHs7
— 92.3 The Fan (@923TheFan) July 17, 2026
Reisland said that the confirmation bias he is guarding against here also applies to Watson and Sanders. Just because Watson has not performed well in his time with Cleveland doesn’t mean his upside has vanished. Sanders may not have distinguished himself in his seven starts last year as a rookie, but there are reasons to be optimistic about this season.
As for Gabriel, it should always be noted that he was the first choice to be Cleveland’s starter when Joe Flacco was benched last season, ahead of Sanders. It is also possible that he may have held on to the job for the entire season had he not been put into concussion protocol in the Browns’ Week 11 game against the Baltimore Ravens.
Sanders took over from there, and Gabriel played just two snaps after that. He finished the year with 10 appearances and six starts, completing 110 of 185 attempts (59.5 percent). He threw seven touchdowns with just two interceptions and was sacked 19 times.
Nothing has been officially decided by head coach Todd Monken, and with the potential for injury always looming, Gabriel needs to be as engaged and involved as possible in case he is needed at some point.
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