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Cleveland Browns quarterback Dillon Gabriel received some backing from general manager Andrew Berry.
The Cleveland Browns have not forgotten about quarterback Dillon Gabriel, who could still factor into the team’s quarterback decision.
The Browns selected Gabriel in the third round of last year’s NFL Draft, a move many around the league viewed as a reach. When he was given an opportunity to start, the former Oregon passer did little to quiet those concerns.
Gabriel went 1-5 in six starts, throwing for 937 yards with seven touchdowns and two interceptions. While he generally protected the football, he struggled to push the ball downfield or create explosive plays, averaging just 5.1 yards per attempt.
Gabriel suffered a concussion during a Week 11 loss to the Baltimore Ravens. Shedeur Sanders took over and Gabriel never won back the starting job. Gabriel has mostly been an afterthought this offseason, but Browns general manager Andrew Berry said he’s not “forgotten” within the building.
“He may be forgotten externally, but he’s not forgotten to us. (He’s) gonna handle everything within his control,” Berry said at the NFL Combine on Tuesday. “Dylan’s a guy that has a bright future in this league.”
Browns May Trade Dillon Gabriel
It’s an interesting stance from Berry on Gabriel, given that the second-year quarterback currently sits third on the assumed depth chart, behind Sanders and Deshaun Watson. The Browns general manager may be doing a bit of posturing, particularly if the organization is laying the groundwork to explore Gabriel’s trade value this offseason.
Cleveland isn’t expected to target a quarterback early in the draft, but adding one in the middle or later rounds remains very much on the table. Doing so would further crowd the quarterback room and all but push Gabriel onto the trade block, giving the Browns a chance to recoup some value after spending a third-round pick on him just a year ago.
One name to watch is Penn State’s Drew Allar, who is widely projected as a Day 2 or Day 3 selection. If Cleveland pulls the trigger on a developmental quarterback in that range, Gabriel’s days in Cleveland could be numbered.
“As for drafting Allar, I’m all for taking developmental quarterbacks and seeing where it might lead,” Browns insider Mary Kay Cabot said. “If the Browns find one they like, perhaps they’d want to see what they could get for 2025 third-rounder Dillon Gabriel.”
Browns Want to See Continued Growth From Shedeur Sanders
Sanders appears to be the frontrunner to win the starting job after starting seven games as a rookie. He won’t have a chance to show what he can do on the field over the next few months, but Berry had some insight on what they want to see from Sanders.
“I think the biggest thing we want to see from Shedeur is that he continues to grow. I think he grew a lot from start No. 1 to start No. 7. Playing more efficiently and not putting the ball in harm’s way as much will be important, while maintaining the ability to produce out of structure and generate explosive plays,” Berry said. “You’re not going to see all that in the coming month because we won’t be on the field. So the biggest thing he can do is learn the new offense, get in with the coaching staff when the offseason program starts, continue to work on his body physically, and make strides when we actually get on the grass.”
Sanders went 3-4 in his starts. He passed for 1,400 yards, seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions and was named a Pro Bowl replacement.
J.R. DeGroote JR DeGroote is a staff writer for Heavy.com, where he has covered the NFL, NBA, and trending sports stories since 2019. His work focuses on some of the most passionate fanbases in sports, including reporting on the Cleveland Browns, Dallas Cowboys and Los Angeles Lakers. More about J.R. DeGroote
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