Browns fans got their first look at new edge defender Jared Verse on Wednesday. He opened his first practice with Cleveland since Monday’s bombshell Myles Garrett trade with some individual drills, wearing the familiar No. 8 that he previously donned with the Los Angeles Rams.
It took about 60 seconds for Browns reporters to notice two No. 8s on the practice field, though.
The No. 8 has belonged to backup quarterback Dillon Gabriel since he was drafted in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft. He’s going to need a new number ahead of training camp, as Verse — affectionately known as “V8” by fans during his time in L.A. — has a chance to one day replace Garrett as the new face of the franchise.
As for Gabriel’s future? It’s been rumored about plenty since the Browns selected quarterback Taylen Green on Day 3 of the 2026 draft. It’s unlikely that Cleveland carries four quarterbacks on the roster this year, and with Deshaun Watson, Shedeur Sanders, and Green all but locked in, Gabriel continues to feel like the odd-man out.
That was especially the case on Wednesday. Two No. 8 jerseys were on the field, but all eyes (and cameras) were focused on one of them.
Dillon Gabriel's pending number change points to a painfully obvious next move for the Browns
To be fair, Gabriel is likely more than willing to give his number to the Browns’ new star defender. It is a tad awkward, though. Barely a year ago, Cleveland made Gabriel the No. 94 pick in the draft. The Kevin Stefanski regime was clearly high on him, quickly elevating Gabriel as the starter after a 1-3 start to the 2025 season.
Gabriel, who wore the No. 8 at Oregon, ultimately relinquished the job to Sanders after exiting a game against the Ravens in Week 11 with a concussion. There was an opportunity for him, though, to have a much bigger say in this year’s quarterback competition than he has right now.
The Browns held their third OTA practice with the media in attendance (and eighth session overall) on Wednesday, and it was once again Watson and Sanders switching off first-team reps, per ESPN's Daniel Oyefusi. New head coach Todd Monken recently got an extended look at Green during last month’s rookie minicamp and appeared to like what he saw. Gabriel’s the clear fish out of water here, and the coach who may have believed in his NFL future the most is now in Atlanta.
Cleveland will likely carry Gabriel into training camp, but he’ll be a bubble player from Day 1. In a perfect world, the Browns will be able to trade him to a team like Atlanta or Tampa Bay in exchange for a late-round pick in 2027 or 2028. The optics around waiving a top-100 pick in Year 2 aren’t great, but GM Andrew Berry just traded Garrett to the Los Angeles Rams for Verse and a major package of draft picks, so everything is on the table.
Verse’s jersey number with the Browns wasn’t really a big talking point until he hit the practice field, but that’s kind of the point. Gabriel has been an afterthought in Cleveland’s QB room for months, and his pending number change is just the latest example.
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