Dillon Gabriel has been easy to overlook this offseason. With all the attention on Deshaun Watson’s comeback attempt and Shedeur Sanders’ jersey number change, the second-year quarterback from Oregon has quietly remained on the Browns’ roster while his future in Cleveland grows more uncertain by the day. Now, an insider is shedding light on what could happen to Gabriel depending on how the draft plays out.
Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com addressed the question directly in her latest mailbag column.
“I do think the Browns could get something in return for Gabriel, even if it’s moving up in the seventh round or something like that. That would be on the table if they add another quarterback in the draft. If not, they’re more than happy to continue developing Gabriel and see what he can do with an upgraded supporting cast, and what Andrew Berry has described as a more operational offense under Todd Monken,” Cabot wrote.
If the Browns add a quarterback in the draft, Gabriel would likely become expendable. If they do not, he stays and competes. His fate is directly tied to what Andrew Berry does on draft day.
Gabriel was a third-round pick out of Oregon in the 2025 draft, selected 94th overall. As a rookie he went 1-5 as a starter, completing 59.5 percent of his passes for 937 yards with seven touchdowns and two interceptions across ten games before a concussion against Baltimore in Week 11 opened the door for Sanders to take over. The numbers were not spectacular, but the situation around him was not easy either. Cabot noted that even Joe Flacco struggled in that same offense with that same supporting cast.
Gabriel is 25 years old and left-handed, which gives him a different look than anything else on Cleveland’s roster. He has the processing speed and decision-making that coaches like, even if the arm talent and size leave something to be desired at 5-foot-11.
The Browns have three quarterbacks under contract right now in Watson, Sanders, and Gabriel. That is one too many if Watson actually competes seriously for the job and the team does not draft another signal caller. Someone has to go, and Gabriel, as the lowest man on the depth chart, is the most obvious candidate.
Whether another team values him enough to trade for him is the real question. A late-round pick movement may be the ceiling.
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