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Cleveland Browns quarterback Dillon Gabriel is under pressure to produce.
The Cleveland Browns may not have a spot for Dillon Gabriel on the depth chart come September and coming off his rookie campaign, the quarterback doesn’t appear to have much time or affinity left for the franchise that drafted him.
New head coach Todd Monken told reporters at the NFL’s annual meetings in Phoenix on Tuesday, March 31 that while fifth-round pick Shedeur Sanders has been a consistent presence at team facilities this offseason, the opposite is true of Gabriel.
Browns HC Todd Monken notes that Shedeur Sanders has been in the building a bunch the last few months, working out; Dillon Gabriel, as far as he’s aware , has not. @ESPNNFL
“Browns HC Todd Monken notes that Shedeur Sanders has been in the building a bunch the last few months, working out,” ESPN’s Peter Schrager reported via X. “Dillon Gabriel, as far as he’s aware, has not.”
Browns’ QB Battle Likely to Come Down to Shedeur Sanders, Deshaun Watson
GettyCleveland Browns quarterbacks Deshaun Watson (left) and Shedeur Sanders (right).
No league or team rule mandates Gabriel spend his time in team facilities at this point of the offseason, or any point up until now, but his absence is potentially as telling as the rhetoric coming out of the organization as well as the reports from insiders as to the situation at quarterback.
Owner Jimmy Haslam recently implied that Deshaun Watson could earn the starting job, calling him a potential “home run” after chalking the trade/contract for Watson up to a “swing and miss” last offseason.
Haslam also spoke Monday at the league meetings about Sanders’ progress.
“I was in Cleveland two or three weeks ago, and was working out early and he was coming in,” Haslam said. “He’s been in Cleveland most of the winter, and I think that says a lot for his dedication to wanting to be a NFL quarterback and understanding what it takes.”
Meanwhile, the discussion surrounding Gabriel from Haslam and GM Andrew Berry has been considerably less.
Dillon Gabriel Could Land on Trade Block This Offseason
GettyQuarterback Dillon Gabriel of the Cleveland Browns.
Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com has indicated on multiple occasions in recent weeks that her understanding of the QB room, at least as of now, is that Sanders and Watson are likely to battle for the starting role with one of the two entering camp as the clear QB1.
That could change if the team decides to draft a quarterback, though because Fernando Mendoza is likely to come off the board at No. 1 overall to the Las Vegas Raiders, any signal-caller the Browns might select in late April is likely to be a developmental project. The one exception could be Ty Simpson of Alabama, though several other teams are in the conversation for his services.
Cabot has noted that Gabriel could end up on the trade block if circumstances that pit Watson and Sanders against one another play out, as it currently appears they will. As to what kind of return the Browns might expect, a Day 3 pick is the most probable.
Following a 1-5 campaign as the starter across 10 appearances, in which Gabriel threw for a cautious and calculated 937 yards, seven TDs and two INTs on a 59.5 percent completion rate, the moniker following him around is that of a career backup.
One potential place Gabriel might fit is as a reserve behind Michael Penix Jr. and Tua Tagovailoa with the Atlanta Falcons, where former Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski will lead the sidelines in 2026 and beyond.
Max Dible covers the NFL, NBA and MLB for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, Chicago Bears and Cleveland Browns. He covered local and statewide news as a reporter for West Hawaii Today and served as news director for BigIslandNow.com and Pacific Media Group’s family of Big Island radio stations before joining Heavy. More about Max Dible
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