The Cleveland Browns are ready to kick off a new era.
Dillon Gabriel is about to be their new starting quarterback, and while that’s a breath of fresh air after watching Joe Flacco, there are also some legitimate reasons to be worried.
For starters, he’s shorter than most quarterbacks, and the fact that he’s a lefty also forces the team’s hand to make some adjustments on the offensive line.
Nevertheless, as much as those are valid concerns, former NFL star J.J. Watt still wants him to succeed.
Talking on the Pat McAfee Show, the Houston Texans legend acknowledged the concerns, but he added that he truly wanted to see the Browns finally find their quarterback:
“My thoughts are I hope he’s great. I would love for the Cleveland Browns jersey, that one with all the quarterbacks’ names on the back, be retired. It would be fun to have a guy just end it, and he could just have one jersey with one name. Hopefully, that’s Gabriel, because that would be great. I think the Cleveland Browns have a phenomenal fanbase. It would be great if they were great at some point. As far as his stature, there have been short quarterbacks who have been successful before. I don’t think it’s as crazy in today’s world with the rules and how we protect them. But there’s no question, it does present its challenges and batting down passes is a real thing,” Watt said.
"The Cleveland Browns have a phenomenal fanbase and I hope that Dillion Gabriel does great..
It would be awesome if they were good at football"@JJWatt #PMSLive https://t.co/C7nvn7ZDgi pic.twitter.com/MrbKtekX1b
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) October 1, 2025
The Browns’ decision to take Gabriel in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft raised some eyebrows at the time.
Most analysts had Gabriel falling to Day 3, and some didn’t even have him going drafted.
Given his physical limitations and all the time he spent in college, some scouts had him as a perennial backup or undrafted free agent in their projections.
Still, the fact that the Browns took him so high may have only meant that another team was keeping tabs on him.
The Browns were reportedly quite high on him from the moment they met with him, and while he may not be the most exciting prospect, he looked great in limited action in the preseason.
Now, he’s about to become the first quarterback in NFL history to make his first career start overseas when the Browns meet with the Minnesota Vikings in London.
NEXT: Insider Reveals How Dillon Gabriel Will Change Browns' Offense
