As the Cleveland Browns prepare to play their second game in five days, the extended break that’s looming after Thursday Night Football could shed light on one of their most intriguing roster decisions.
The Browns managed to enter the season without releasing or trading one of their four quarterbacks, after Dillon Gabriel was placed on short-term injured reserve with a (cough, cough) back injury.
Gabriel’s 21-day practice window could be opened as soon as next week, meaning GM Andrew Berry and the Browns will once again have to confront their quarterback depth chart.
Through three games, the depth chart has been firmly established. Deshaun Watson has played well as the starter. Shedeur Sanders is his backup. Rookie Taylen Green has been inactive as the emergency QB3 each week.
Gabriel remains in a gray area, and ESPN insider Jeremy Fowler isn’t ruling out a trade as injuries continue to mount across the NFL.
In the wake of the J.J. McCarthy trade to the New York Giants on Monday, Fowler named the Browns as one of three teams who could flip a backup quarterback for draft capital in the coming weeks.
“Three teams — the Eagles, Browns and Steelers — are carrying four quarterbacks and probably would welcome a deal at the right price," Fowler wrote. "And more injuries at the position will cause more trade talk. We've already seen six established starters go down through the first three weeks. Kansas City sees QB2 upside with Garrett Nussmeier, so if there are trade inquiries for Justin Fields, perhaps the Chiefs take a look. Spencer Rattler (Saints) and Stetson Bennett IV (Rams) elicited trade interest in the preseason.”
Dillon Gabriel's looming return could finally force the Browns to resolve their four-quarterback logjam
All the Shedeur Sanders trade ideas circulating the internet are great for rage-baiting Browns fans and all, but Gabriel has been and continues to be Cleveland’s most likely quarterback trade piece.
The timing of Gabriel’s injury this summer was curious, at best. He was placed on injured reserve on the morning of roster cutdown day, a few days after he posted a 157.9 QB rating with three touchdown passes in the Browns’ preseason win over the New England Patriots.
Gabriel has been prohibited from practicing with the team in September per league rules, but he’s almost certainly healthy enough to play football. He operated as the clear QB3 behind Watson and Sanders throughout training camp, but Cleveland clearly values Green and wants to avoid subjecting him to the NFL's waiver system at all costs.
McCarthy, a former No. 10 overall pick, fetched the Vikings a fifth-round draft pick. Gabriel would likely go for less, potentially for a pick swap, but he should have some value on the current market. Gabriel is a more polished NFL passer than players like Nussmeier, Fields, Rattler, and Bennett.
Gabriel feels like the obvious odd-man out, especially after he was thoroughly beaten out by Sanders in camp. As a third-round draft pick, Gabriel will also cost the Browns about $1 million more than Sanders over the balance of his rookie contract, assuming Sanders doesn’t hit the playing time incentives needed to trigger a proven performance escalator in 2028.
The clock is ticking for the Browns on Gabriel. They found a solution to their QB roster crunch at the end of August, but they won’t be able to carry a healthy player on injured reserve much longer past Week 5.
Gabriel’s practice window will be opening soon, and the team’s corresponding roster decisions will be a storyline worth following.
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