Dillon Gabriel got his chance in Cleveland's final preseason game Thursday night against the New England Patriots, starting over Shedeur Sanders, who sat out, and made the most of it, completing passes efficiently and moving the offense with the kind of ease that has made coach Todd Monken genuinely complimentary all camp. "I'm excited for Dillon," Monken said before the game.
After the game, he was less decisive. When asked directly whether the Browns would keep all four of their quarterbacks, Deshaun Watson, Shedeur Sanders, Gabriel and rookie Taylen Green, on the 53-man roster heading into the regular season, Monken sidestepped the question entirely.
The roster cutdown deadline is August 30. Cleveland's season opener is at Jacksonville on September 7.
Gabriel, a third-round pick in 2025 out of Oregon, started six games last year for the Browns going 1-5 but protected the ball, posting a 7-2 touchdown-to-interception ratio.
He enters the cutdown as the clear QB3 behind Watson and Sanders but has made enough of an impression that a trade has been discussed and a roster spot is not guaranteed.
Watson is the starter. Sanders is the backup. Gabriel is the question. Thursday night he gave Monken one more reason to ask it.