There is plenty of time before final roster cuts in August, but the Browns are already considering holding onto all four of their quarterbacks.
General manager Andrew Berry said (via Jori Epstein of Yahoo Sports) that Cleveland could “absolutely” carry four quarterbacks into the regular season, provided, of course, that “they all play well enough.” According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, all four “answered the bell” this spring.
The Browns value Joe Flacco‘s familiarity with Kevin Stefanski‘s offensive scheme; those traits are also the reason that Flacco took limited reps during OTAs and minicamp, typically with the first team, per Epstein. That has allowed Stefanski and new offensive coordinator Tommy Rees to sort through the team’s younger options: ex-Steelers first-rounder Kenny Pickett and rookie draft picks Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders.
If the Browns go with three quarterbacks, Chris Easterling of the Akron Beacon Journal believes that either Flacco or Pickett will be the odd man out. Flacco’s experience is his biggest plus, but Cleveland was more aggressive in its pursuit of Pickett this offseason. The Browns traded for him on the first day of the new league year, while Flacco did not sign until April.
Obviously, the Browns are unlikely to cut Gabriel after drafting him in the third round. They could try to sneak Sanders through waivers after every other team passed on him multiple times in the draft, but he could be claimed if another squad’s backup gets injured during training camp.
While the day was filled with snippets of Shedeur Sanders‘ reps at Browns Organized Team Activities today, the real news happened off the field as third-round rookie quarterback Dillon Gabrielsigned his rookie contract, according to a team announcement. No contract details have been released.
With Deshaun Watson dealing with injury and the quarterback room consisting of only a 40-year-old Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett on his third team in as many years, the Browns were constantly linked to a rookie quarterback in the 2025 NFL Draft. While many assumed that that quarterback would in some way or another end up being Sanders, a historically strange slide led to five other passers hearing their names called before Sanders. One of those names was Gabriel’s, which came at No. 94 overall.
After six years playing college football (three at UCF, two at Oklahoma, and one at Oregon), Gabriel only got better and better, even after a left clavicle injury ended his time with the Knights. Overall, Gabriel proved to be an elite producer who could protect the ball and score with his arm or his legs. He went 46-17 as a starter with the Knights, Sooners, and Ducks, showing an impressive ability to pick up new systems quickly and effectively.
That, contrasted with Sanders, who has worked under the same offense under the same coach since high school, could be a reason that Gabriel’s name has been seeing much more run in recent days as a contender for a role as QB1 or 2. One of the latest reports we’d seen saw Gabriel seemingly looking like the QB2 behind Pickett. The lefty seems to be making quick progress as he learns his fourth new offense in five years.
There will still be plenty of time for Gabriel to challenge Pickett or for Sanders to challenge them both or even for Flacco to get back in the picture. Regardless, Gabriel can now get his mind off contract negotiations and put all his efforts into football.
Gabriel is only the third Browns rookie to put pen to paper so far. Here’s how the rest of the draft class is looking:
Roughly two months remain until training camp, and minicamp is still weeks away. But the Browns’ quarterback competition will begin to take shape at OTAs, which started today.
A player the Eagles did not deem a priority, as Tanner McKee is set to move into their QB2 role, is expected to take the first reps with the starters at OTAs. Kenny Pickett indeed will enter Cleveland’s on-field voluntary work receiving the first crack in the starting role, cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot notes.
Pickett starter buzz, despite his quick Pittsburgh exit and uninspiring Philadelphia stay, has picked up recently. OTAs do not provide any padded reps, but they are certainly part of the conversation. The Browns have one of the more complicated quarterback situations in many years, especially considering the Deshaun Watson component, and Pickett is suddenly a key presence after effectively hovering off the radar at Eagles OTAs last year.
Affirming Pickett will see the first work at OTAs, Cabot offered an update that Dillon Gabriel is likely set to be the second QB in this mix. Kevin Stefanski recently said Browns QB reps will not be doled out equally this offseason, and the May and June work will be important here. Training camp does not offer a setup where a four-man QB competition can realistically be conducted, due to time constraints, so it is certainly possible one member of this mix will be eliminated from a realistic starter path by that point. Through this lens, Gabriel’s OTA status becomes more noteworthy.
The Browns prioritized Gabriel in the draft, ranking him ahead ofJalen Milroeand new teammate Shedeur Sanders. GM Andrew Berry deemed the six-year college QB a better fit compared to Sanders; of course, that was before the team then circled back to the freefalling Colorado passer in Round 5. While ownership making its stance known re: Sanders is certainly possible, he is part of the competition along with Pickett, Gabriel and Joe Flacco. Sanders’ status also will overshadow Gabriel, who is in the historically strange position of seeing a QB drafted later by his own team dwarf his popularity.
Viewed as a Day 3 pick, Gabriel — who started at Oregon, Oklahoma and Central Florida — went off the board 50 spots before Sanders. Going at No. 94, the 5-foot-11 prospect appeared a handpicked option — whereas Sanders profiled as a value play. Sanders’ presence complicates Gabriel’s Cleveland future, but for now, the two-year Buffaloes starter resides in the background in Cleveland. He and Flacco, in some order, are set to enter OTAs in the Nos. 3 and 4 spots, Cabot offers. The Browns guaranteed Flacco $3MM, while cutting Pickett (and seeing no team claim him) would bring a $2.6MM cost.
All four will receive plenty of reps during OTAs, as concurrent QB drills will commence, but the team will need to make a plan for training camp. Team work once in training camp will begin to shape the competition ahead of the regular season, with the preseason providing the final evaluations. Teams rarely carry four passers on a 53-man roster, though it is not unprecedented. That said, the Browns either keeping all four or presenting a roster with two rookie draftees on the final 53 would mark a rare occurrence.
Watson’s status will still be worth monitoring, as he has resumed throwing, but the trade bust is not viewed as part of the current competition. His second Achilles tear is expected to lead to a placement on the reserve/PUP list, after residing on the active/PUP list (a camp-only designation) while the other four QBs vie to replace him as Cleveland’s starter. Even though Flacco and Sanders are bigger names than Pickett and Gabriel, the latter contingent appears to have the upper hand early.
As the Browns look forward to Organized Team Activities, head coach Kevin Stefanski reflected on what he’s seen thus far in the team’s offseason program. According to ESPN’s Tony Grossi, Stefanski seemed to indicate that the narrative that all four quarterbacks will be competing for the starting job is losing steam.
Technically, Cleveland rosters five quarterbacks. Incumbent starter Deshaun Watson remains under contract with the Browns, but there’s a decent chance he won’t be available in 2025. The 29-year-old’s lackluster 2024 campaign ended when he suffered an Achilles tendon tear, and when news of a second Achilles tear surfaced in January, his availability for next season immediately came into question. He can’t be entirely ruled out, though, as we saw reports this week that Watson had shed his walking boot and resumed throwing.
That being said, Watson will not be a factor during the remainder of the team’s offseason program. The four passers participating this summer are veteran Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, and rookies Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders. With so many low-dollar contracts involved, one would think that he starting job is up for grabs and anyone’s to take. That doesn’t appear to be the case, per Stefanski’s comments.
When asked how reps will be divided among the four, Stefanski gave the impression that it will not be done with an even 25 percent split. “It’s not going to be that way,” he told reporters. “The big thing for us is making sure we give the guys enough reps that they need, making sure they have enough for both learning the system and developing and for us to evaluate them.”
It looks like the veterans, Flacco and Pickett, will get the majority of the reps, and Gabriel and Sanders will need to make up for their lack of playing time with virtual reality technology via the team’s new virtual walk-through room. It seems the virtual reality trend, made popular by Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels, is extending its reach. Daniels adopted the practice at LSU and made its implementation a requirement for any team that drafted him. As a result, Daniels turned in one of the greatest rookie seasons we’ve seen out of a quarterback, winning Offensive Rookie of the Year and taking Washington to the NFC Championship.
The Browns will count on this technology now to help bring their rookies up to NFL speed. “VR can be a big tool, especially for young players,” Stefanski said. “It’s really dependent on the player, how they like it. That’s something we’ll definitely be working with the next three weeks.”
Stefanski didn’t give a timeline for when the team will make its decisions. Grossi points out that two-day joint practice sessions with other teams serve as crucial practices for Stefanski’s decision-making, and the Brown will get two such sessions before their preseason games with the Panthers and Eagles. He did say, though, that the staff would make a plan for training camp based on what they see in the next month or so.
At the moment, it seems Flacco’s experience gives him the edge. The 40-year-old passer has 17 seasons of NFL play under his belt, has won a Super Bowl, and has successful experience as the starting quarterback in Cleveland’s system. From there, the next few weeks will be crucial for Pickett, Gabriel, and Sanders to establish themselves and gain ground in the position battle.
MAY 23: During an appearance on ESPN Cleveland radio, head coach Kevin Stefanski said there will not be an even distribution of quarterback reps this offseason. That comes as little surprise, but the door is obviously still open to all four passers earning the starting gig depending on how training camp shakes out.
MAY 19: Since the Browns used a selection during the second and third days of the draft on a quarterback, questions have lingered about how they will sort out the position in 2025. Plenty of time remains for things to change on that front, but a few early indications have emerged.
Rookies Dillon Gabrieland Shedeur Sanders are joined by trade acquisition Kenny Pickettand veteran Joe Flacco, re-acquired in free agency this spring. That quartet could shrink in size during roster cutdowns, but for the time being it can be expected to remain intact. Even in the wake of the Saints losing Derek Carrto retirement, Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com writes no QB trade is being planned at this point.
If such a move were to be made, Cabot recently named Flacco as the passer likeliest to find himself on the move. For now, though, he is in position to compete for a spot on the depth chart upon returning to Cleveland. The 40-year-old helped guide the Browns to the postseason upon joining them midway through the 2023 campaign, and he represented a logical target to return this year. With Deshaun Watsonunlikely to play in 2025 while rehabbing his second Achilles tear, Flacco could at least open the year as the starter with the rookies developing.
As Cabot adds, however, it is Pickett who appears to be the frontrunner heading into upcoming OTAs and June’s mandatory minicamp. The former Steelers first-rounder saw his Pittsburgh tenure end in short order after a disappointing spell atop the depth chart. His trade to the Eagles resulted in a one-year backup stint behind Jalen Hurts and a single start in Week 18. To no surprise, Cleveland declined Pickett’s fifth-year option for 2026, meaning he enters the year as a pending free agent.
In a separate piece, Cabot writes there will be a split of two QB pairings to divvy up reps during offseason work, which is a reasonable approach given the uncertainty surrounding the position. Pickett is slated to operate as the No. 1 (at least, to begin the process) and Cabot predicts he will be partnered with Gabriel. That would leave Flacco and Sanders alternating third-string reps, albeit with the potential to move up the pecking order depending on their performances.
Gabriel and Sanders will remain under team control through 2028 on the rookie deals, so the Browns can be expected to retain them well past this summer’s training camp. With Flacco and Pickett’s respective futures much less clear, though, it will be interesting to see how they fare during practice. The latter could help his market value to a great extent with a sustained QB1 run in Cleveland, and his audition period for the gig will begin soon.
The Browns‘ quarterback room has been under a microscope for years, but this offseason drew added scrutiny with the pure volume of Cleveland’s transactions at the position.
The Browns first traded for Kenny Pickett before reuniting with Joe Flacco in free agency. They then double-dipped on quarterbacks in the draft, taking Dillon Gabriel in the third round and Shedeur Sanders in the fifth.
Gabriel was expected to be a Day 3 pick, making his selection in the third round a “mild surprise,” according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, though Cleveland wasn’t a shocking destination. They hosted the left-handed passer for a visit on the same day as Sanders and Cam Ward, who both received more media attention for their links with the Browns. But the team was planning to take Gabriel at pick No. 94 all along, even if Jalen Milroe – who went one pick earlier to the Seahawks – was still available.
The Browns’ acquisition of four quarterbacks this offseason has raised questions about their plans for the position moving forward. At least one will likely be surplus to roster requirements in Cleveland, but as Fowler notes, injuries around the league could draw trade interest in Pickett or Flacco, both of whom have moveable one-year contracts.
The Bengals shuffled their front office staff recently. They promoted football data analyst Sam Francis to director of football research, per Inside The League’s Neil Stratton, and hired former Bills intern Trey LaBounty as a scouting research analyst, according to SI.com’s James Rapien. Bengals scout Christian Sarkisian is also departing the staff, being set to take over as the general manager of the Northwestern athletic department, per ESPN’s Pete Thamel.
University of North Carolina athletic director Bubba Cunningham was originally looking to hire Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith as the Tar Heels next head coach, according to David Hale, Andrea Adelson, and Chris Low of ESPN. Smith has never coached at the college level, but he played guard at UNC from 2001 to 2005. Heading into his second season as Steelers OC, Smith turned down the chance to interview for his alma mater’s HC post. Cunningham ultimately went with Bill Belichick, a decision that has drawn significant scrutiny over the last few months.
The Browns reunited with Shaun Herock in a personnel role, per KRPC2’s Aaron Wilson. Herock was previously a national scout in Cleveland before joining the Raiders as a senior personnel advisor.
While the ink still isn’t dry on Joe Flacco‘s contract with the Browns, there’s already speculation that the veteran may not make it to the regular season with his new squad. According to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com, Joe Flacco is likely the odd man out in the Browns quarterbacks room.
The team’s positional depth has obviously changed a bit since Flacco inked a deal with Cleveland in early April. The Browns added a pair of big-name rookies via the draft, and it sounds like the team is committed to giving roster spots to both third-round pick Dillon Gabriel and surprising fifth-round pick Shedeur Sanders.
As the Browns navigated Deshaun Watson‘s injury and tenuous standing on their squad, the team went out and made a trade for Kenny Pickett earlier this offseason. Cabot believes the former first-round pick is in prime position to retain his roster spot, and that would leave Flacco on the outside looking in.
The team would surely only commit three roster spots to the quarterback position, but Cabot says the team could hang on to four QBs for the first iteration of their 53-man roster. The team did something similar last year, when they kept Tyler Huntley with the hopes of a trade popping up. A deal never came to fruition, and the organization moved on from Huntley before Week 1.
It’s hard to envision a long line of suitors for Flacco. That has nothing to do with his quality of play—even during his age-39 season, Flacco won a pair of games while tossing 12 touchdowns vs. seven interceptions. Rather, teams will likely be cognizant of Flacco’s spot on Cleveland’s roster, and they may just wait out an inevitable release if they truly have interest in the veteran.
On the flip side, Flacco could simply play himself into a role, potentially leading to a tricky situation for the Browns. The most likely path would see them move on from Pickett, but if both vets are truly deserving of a spot, then it wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibility for them to ditch a draft pick or try to sneak a rookie onto their practice squad.
Meanwhile, we’ve finally gotten some details on Flacco’s contract (via OverTheCap.com). His one-year, $4MM pact includes $3MM in guaranteed money, although a chunk of that total is tied to roster bonuses that could be avoided. Flacco is also attached to a $2.85MM cap hit, and the Browns would be left with half of that on the books if they outright released the quarterback.
As the Browns follow the Texans in constructing an extended departure ramp for Deshaun Watson, they have since added four quarterbacks. Each of the players would have a path to starting for a team that saw its highest-paid passer wildly disappoint before suffering two Achilles tears.
As Watson rehabs, the Browns are effectively moving on (though, a monumental dead money hit will loom if that happens in 2026). And the draft brought an unusual outcome. The Browns surprised most by taking Oregon’s Dillon Gabriellate in the third round. Gabriel came off the board 94th, shortly after Jalen Milroebut a full round before Shedeur Sanders. Widely anticipated to go in the first or second rounds, Sanders tumbled to 144th overall. The Browns stopped his skid hours after Andrew Berryhad deemed Gabriel a better fit.
Becoming the rare team to select two quarterbacks in the same draft, the Browns added the rookies to a position group housing Kenny Pickett and Joe Flacco. (Flacco’s return and the ensuing draft moves will cut off a Kirk Cousins-to-Cleveland path.) The former arrived via trade in March, while the latter is back for a second tour of duty in Cleveland. Both veterans, Flacco especially, have extensive starting experience and could serve as placeholders. Though, we do not know yet who the bridge QBs will be setting up just yet.
Carrying the cheapest contract of the bunch, Sanders will undoubtedly bring by far the most attention. The Browns were once connected to potentially drafting the two-year Colorado starter second overall. A historic draft fall then commenced, allowing the team to trade up (via the Seahawks) for the polarizing prospect in the fifth round. Cleveland certainly did not plan to draft Sanders, but the value proved too enticing. A player viewed as a top-35 (or top-five, in Mel Kiper Jr.’s case) overall prospect will begin training for a potential starting role.
QBs chosen in Round 5 or later obviously have a low percentage shot of hitting, and the NFL effectively showed how it viewed Sanders this weekend. Sanders’ draft slide dwarfed Malik Willis‘ from 2022, as it appeared teams deemed Deion Sanders‘ son/pupil not worth the potential distractions he may bring. Shedeur’s attitude during pre-draft visits came up as one of the reasons he fell, and he is not going to a team that has done well at the quarterback position, for the most part, since rebooting in 1999. That said, Sanders could also make the highly unusual trek from fifth-round rookie to starter. Not too much is blocking him, should outside evaluators’ view be accurate (compared to a perception within the league).
The Browns saw Flacco deliver one of the most memorable QB stretches since they reemerged at the turn of the century, having seen the then-38-year-old join the practice squad and serve as a stunningly effective emergency replacement for Watson. Although Flacco earned Comeback Player of the Year acclaim for his five-game run that lifted an injury-plagued Browns offense to the playoffs, he is now 40 and coming off an unremarkable Colts cameo.
Indianapolis had benched Anthony Richardson in hopes Flacco could stabilize the offense, as a potential playoff berth was deemed a priority over Richardson development. After already subbing for an injured Richardson early last year, Flacco could not hold the job as an non-injury fill-in.
Shane Steichen benched Flacco after a three-INT game in Minnesota, and although he did return to replace Richardson late in the season (featuring a 330-yard loss to the Giants — in a game that cost the NFC East team Cam Ward), the Browns stand to have a diminished version of the former Super Bowl MVP compared to their 2023 edition. Still, Flacco has a path to the Week 1 gig as well.
Pickett could also lay claim to the role, but the Browns picking two quarterbacks by Round 5 also could lead him out of town. The former Steelers No. 20 overall pick has now been traded in back-to-back offseasons, with the second sending historically ineffective Browns backup Dorian Thompson-Robinson to Philly. Pickett did not impress in his second Steelers season, wrapping a 24-start tenure with 13 TD passes. Pittsburgh traded Pickett after he did not respond well to the Russell Wilson signing, as the Pitt alum sought a new team. Pickett’s struggles against the Commanders led to a late-season Eagles loss, and he left his lone Jalen Hurts relief start with a rib injury.
One season remains on Pickett’s rookie deal, which calls for a $2.62MM base salary. The Browns would take on that amount in dead money if they were to waive Pickett. That did not appear much of a possibility before the draft, as 2022’s top QB choice arrived before Flacco to at least compete for the starting job. But subsequent events complicate that route. Although, two-time Coach of the Year Kevin Stefanski having a crack at Pickett — after embattled OC Matt Canada did not do much with him — at least represents an intriguing wild card here.
The first QB the Browns chose this year will step into the unusual spot of being overshadowed by a rookie in his own position group. Gabriel will come to Ohio having been Cleveland’s preference over Sanders, but he will now have to prove it in a way he may not have before the latter investment. Ranked 148th on Daniel Jeremiah‘s NFL.com big board (128 spots behind Sanders), Gabriel started throughout his college career — at Central Florida, Oklahoma and Oregon.
The Ducks’ Bo Nix successor played in a tougher conference, after Oregon’s Big Ten move, and won the league’s Offensive Player of the Year award. That did not result in draft gurus viewing the 5-foot-11 QB as anything but a Day 3 prospect, but the Browns disagreed and will give him a chance to start.
While one of these QBs could be sent to the practice squad, it would be unlikely if Sanders or Gabriel cleared waivers. Pickett would also need to clear waivers to be stashed. Though, it is now easier to imagine Pickett reaching free agency than one of Cleveland’s two recent QB draftees. This complicated situation will be the runaway lead Browns story moving forward, as the Myles Garrett matter is settled. The team’s QB future was supposed to loom large in the Browns regrouping with Garrett, but if this plan does not work out, Berry also secured an extra 2026 first-round pick by trading out of the Travis Hunterdraft slot.
Who will win the offseason competition? And, more importantly, who do you think will end the season as the team’s primary starter? Vote in PFR’s latest poll and weigh in with your thoughts on this swiftly evolving setup in the comments section.
Perhaps the most surprising piece ofShedeur Sanders‘ fall — a tumble that has largely overshadowed the 2025 draft — came late Friday night, when the Browns circled back to their quarterback pick. Rather than Sanders, Cleveland went with Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel.
Ranked 148th on Daniel Jeremiah’s NFL.com big board (128 spots behind Sanders), Gabriel went to the Browns at No. 94. The former Ducks standout also checks in at 5-foot-11. Transferring from Central Florida to Oklahoma to Oregon in a six-year college run, Gabriel impressed the Browns to the point he will be given a chance to start, Kevin Stefanski said (via cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot).
The Browns went through multiple meetings with Gabriel over the past month, according to The Athletic’s Zac Jackson, who does not envision the undersized prospect making a strong case for the starting role. As it stands, the Browns will send a QB room of Gabriel, Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett into their offseason program. Although Deshaun Watson is technically still on the team, it would be borderline shocking if he threw another regular-season pass for the team that burned three first-round picks on him as part of what is likely the worst trade in NFL history.
Unlike No. 40 overall Saints pick Tyler Shough, Gabriel started throughout his lengthy college career. He posted three 30-touchdown pass seasons — one at Central Florida, one at Oklahoma, one at Oregon — and the Browns certainly saw scrutinized 2023 Ducks starter Bo Nix prove many wrong via a strong rookie season. Gabriel stepped into Nix’s place in Eugene and threw 30 TD passes during a season that saw him finish as the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year. Gabriel finished third in the Heisman voting — behind only Travis Hunter and Ashton Jeanty— but was not labeled as a comparable prospect heading into the draft.
Sanders was — for a while. The Colorado prospect went from being tabbed a potential No. 2 overall option for the Browns to being a fairly safe bet for a top-10 selection to falling out of Round 1 altogether. A tumble out of Round 1 came up as a possibility shortly before the draft, but no one foresaw the high-profile passer falling out of Round 3. The Browns made four picks Friday night, but their Gabriel move almost definitely will send Sanders elsewhere. GM Andrew Berry referred to Sanders as an “impressive young man,” but added (via the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram’s Scott Petrak) that “sometimes fit comes into play.” The Browns both used a “30” visit on Sanders and then worked him out.
As teams certainly appear to be shying away from Sanders due to his attitude and persona, deeming his play insufficient to negate those factors, the Browns did address their quarterback issue. The Steelers still have not. The Giants and Saints also found their younger options, in Jaxson Dartand Shough. The Browns passed on the latter twice to start Round 2, taking Carson Schwesinger and Quinshon Judkins. The Giants viewed the Browns as a threat for Dart, but after the Ole Miss QB went 25th overall, it took until No. 94 for Cleveland to bring a passer in.
The Browns will have a prime 2026 asset to potentially put toward an earlier QB investment, having acquired the Jaguars’ ’26 first-rounder in the Hunter swap. Cleveland’s own 2025 quarterback situation, Flacco’s 2023 form notwithstanding, does not create an enviable QB setup. It is quite possible Cleveland will carry two high picks in 2026, and while it is too early to project that, next year’s draft would be a clear gateway to the Browns finally moving on from Watson with a first-round investment at the position.
As theShedeur Sanderswait has shifted into a historically strange place, the Browns made a quarterback pick. They are taking Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel at No. 94.
Minutes before this development, Ian Rapoport noted during an appearance on NFL Network Gabriel’s name had come up as a candidate to be selected before Sanders. That is also true of Alabama’s Jalen Milroeas Sanders remains on the board.
The Browns were constantly linked to a rookie addition during the pre-draft process. A Day 1 move, as expected, did not take place, but Friday provided the opportunity to bring in a backup option. Cleveland was reported to be high on Milroe, but with him going to the Seahawks two picks ago that was not an option in the third round. Instead, Gabriel will look to compete for playing time as a Brown.
Cleveland has Deshaun Watsonon the books for 2025, but his second Achilles tear leaves him in danger of missing the entire season. The team traded for former first-rounder Kenny Pickett in March, but that move was not deemed the only one the team was eyeing. Even after a Joe Flaccoreunion took place, the possibility of adding a rookie at some point remained.
Gabriel has emerged as that rookie. The 24-year-old began his career at UCF, spending three seasons there. That stretch was followed by a pair of campaigns at Oklahoma before 2024’s single year with the Ducks. Gabriel delivered strong numbers (72.9% completion percentage, career-high 3,857 yards, 30:6 touchdown-to-interception ratio) while leading Oregon to the College Football Playoff. Gabriel finished third in Heisman voting.
In spite of those accolades, his age and size (5-11, 205 pounds) led to the expectation a Day 3 selection would be likely. Gabriel has not needed to wait that long, though, and the Browns now have further depth on their QB depth chart.
General manager Andrew Berry said (via Jori Epstein of Yahoo Sports) that Cleveland could “absolutely” carry four quarterbacks into the regular season, provided, of course, that “they all play well enough.” According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, all four “answered the bell” this spring.
