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Cleveland Browns quarterbacks Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel.
Rookie quarterback Dillon Gabriel could be the odd man out in the Cleveland Browns’ four-man competition, potentially setting the stage for a trade to the Miami Dolphins.
The Browns drafted Gabriel in the third round, a move that many saw as a reach. Gabriel was the most experienced quarterback in the draft, with six college seasons on his resume. He began his college career at UCF, where he completed 554 of 913 passes for 8,037 yards and 70 touchdowns over three seasons.
He transferred to Oklahoma in 2022, adding 6,828 yards and 55 touchdowns across two seasons. Gabriel finished his collegiate career at Oregon in 2024, completing 326 of 447 passes for 3,857 yards and 30 touchdowns. He’s the all-time FBS leader in total touchdowns (189) and tied for the all-time lead in passing touchdowns (155).
The Browns did their homework on Gabriel, choosing to look beyond the primary knock against him — his 5-foot-11 frame, which falls short of the prototypical franchise quarterback mold.
“We spent a lot of time with Dillon throughout the process,” Browns GM Andrew Berry said after the draft. “Decorated college career, very accurate, very poised, throws with mobility. We just thought he had a really well-rounded game the biggest negative that you say about him is he doesn’t have ideal height, but that’s not something that we felt like showed up in his game.”
Browns Predicted to Ship Dillon Gabriel to Dolphins
Gabriel is in a competition with Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, and fellow rookie Shedeur Sanders for the starting job. The Browns are unlikely to keep four quarterbacks on their 53-man roster, which has generated some trade buzz.
Former NFL quarterback Kurt Benkert believes Gabriel could be the odd man out in Cleveland and potentially on his way to Miami after the preseason.
“I wouldn’t be shocked to see the Dolphins trade for Browns QB Dillon Gabriel at the end of preseason. They liked him a ton and saw him as an incredible scheme fit with athletic upside and were going to take him a few picks later, but then the Browns drafted him (per source),” Benkert said. “The Dolphins traded that pick away after Gabriel was no longer available.”
I wouldn’t be shocked to see the #Dolphins trade for #Browns QB Dillon Gabriel at the end of preseason
They liked him a ton and saw him as an incredible scheme fit with athletic upside and were going to take him a few picks later, but then the Browns drafted him (per source)
The move would add Gabriel to a quarterback room in Miami that features Tua Tagovailoa, another quarterback from Hawaii, as the starter.
Browns QB Dillon Gabriel Focused on ‘Continual Improvement’
The Browns are continuing to evaluate their crowded quarterback competition, and Gabriel has begun to earn some first-team reps during minicamp. While much of the attention has centered on Sanders, Gabriel is quietly focused on his daily progress.
“I’d say two words, just continuous improvement. And in this profession, I think there’s a bunch of progression and regression. But just your ability to manage that as fast as possible, I think that allows you to create improvement at a faster pace,” Gabriel said. “So, I’ve just been approaching it like that and, you know, eager to learn every single day, just approach this like a student.”
Gabriel has also embraced the opportunity to learn from a quarterback room that includes Flacco and Pickett.
“I think just a diverse room and you just appreciate those guys because I think what we’ve done as a room really well is the inability to dwell on the past. You know, we’re just extremely present,” Gabriel said, before praising Flacco’s experience. “So, I think there’s a lot of juice in the squeeze, but you got to ask the right questions. That’s what I try to approach every single day.”
The Browns’ minicamp continues through Thursday in Cleveland.
J.R. DeGroote JR DeGroote is a staff writer for Heavy.com, where they have been covering the NFL, NBA, and trending sports stories since 2019. More about J.R. DeGroote
