With all of the twists and turns in the Cleveland Browns’ quarterback situation over the past year, the franchise could still be in line for one of the biggest surprises of all. With the attention focused on Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders as it pertains to the competition for the starting job, Dillon Gabriel has become a complete afterthought.
That is despite the fact that he was the first choice as the starter after Joe Flacco was benched last season, and he likely would have opened this offseason as the incumbent had he not entered concussion protocol in Week 11. That allowed Sanders to take over the job, which he held through the end of the schedule.
With a voluntary minicamp getting underway, insider Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com is warning fans not to write off Gabriel just yet, as he has the mental make-up and skill set that could allow him to thrive in head coach Todd Monken’s offense.
“We have all kind of written Dillon Gabriel off. He’s going to raise his hand and say, ‘Don’t forget about me.’ The reason why I say that is because he is so smart and he is such a quick processor that I think he’s going to be able to play fast and look good in this new offense. I think he’s going to make it a game. Don’t rule him out, and he’s somebody I would keep my eye on,” Cabot said.
"We have all kind of written Dillon (Gabriel) off. I think he's going to make it a game. Don't rule him and he's somebody I would keep my eye on."
➡️ @MaryKayCabot w/ @CLETalkingHeads on the #Browns QB situation going into today's voluntary veteran minicamp pic.twitter.com/DCaQyI0IM2
— 92.3 The Fan (@923TheFan) April 21, 2026
Gabriel was a third-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft as the preferred quarterback prospect of former head coach Kevin Stefanski. He was favored over Sanders throughout the four-man competition that was held last preseason, and was promoted to starter relatively quickly.
In 10 appearances, which included six starts from Weeks 5-11, Gabriel completed 59.5 percent of his passes for 937 yards and seven touchdowns with just two interceptions. That TD-INT ratio is notable, especially when compared to Sanders, who threw seven TD passes with 10 interceptions in his eight games with seven starts.
It should be noted that general manager Andrew Berry has been careful to include Gabriel in discussions about the plans for the QB position this season. With no other quarterback added to the roster so far, and one unlikely to arrive in the 2026 NFL Draft, Gabriel could have a secure spot as the team’s No. 3 QB, at worst, with the starting job not out of the question.
Seeing Gabriel under center for Week 1 of the 2026 season could be the biggest upset of the campaign, before it even truly begins.
NEXT: Shedeur Sanders Just Put Cleveland Media On Notice
