Sometimes, it's better to pull the plug as soon as one realizes that things don't work. Cutting your losses and moving on is a smart strategy, even if it's an admission of guilt. That might be what the Cleveland Browns need to do with quarterback Dillon Gabriel.
Taking Gabriel in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft seemed like a mistake at the time, and it became even more head-scratching once the Browns doubled down with Shedeur Sanders two rounds later. Now, after Gabriel struggled and was eventually overtaken by Sanders over the final two months of the regular season, there's no reason to prolong this experiment any longer.
With that in mind, Sayre Bedinger of NFL Spin Zone believes the Browns will cut the cord on the former Oregon quarterback in favor of selecting Miami quarterback Carson Beck in the 2026 draft.
"The Cleveland Browns reunite Todd Monken with Carson Beck, another fit that just makes a lot of sense," Bedinger wrote. "The Browns would almost certainly move on from Dillon Gabriel in this case."
A Carson Beck pick could leave the Browns with no choice on Dillon Gabriel
Most scouts projected Gabriel to be a backup at best. He played in multiple systems throughout the course of his long collegiate career, but his limited arm strength and size made him an obvious tweener at the next level. He was supposed to be accurate and a great decision-maker, and none of those traits showed in his first year in the league.
Granted, he wouldn't be the first quarterback to struggle out of the gate. He was actually slightly more accurate than Sanders (59.5 percent to 56.6 percent) and took better care of the football (two interceptions to 10).
As for Beck, he's not the most polished quarterback prospect, either. He's great within a system, but may struggle to play outside of structure, even if he's already familiar with Monken's offensive concepts and schemes for their experience together at Georgia.
Browns general manager Andrew Berry admitted that they would consider adding another quarterback to the mix, as long as it was a young quarterback, so Beck would certainly fit that bill in the middle rounds. He's a hard-working prospect who may have a long career as a backup. As for franchise-player material? That might be an entirely different story.
Barring a shocking turn of events, it's hard to imagine anyone other than Shedeur Sanders or Deshaun Watson having a legitimate shot at the Browns' starting quarterback job. For better or worse, that's the hand Monken was dealt, and he'll now have to work his magic.