Dillon Gabriel Predicted to Lose Browns Starting QB Job to Surprising Player

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Dibyendu Mondal | Last updated May 8, 2025 12:42 PM ET

Dillon Gabriel, the Cleveland Browns’ third-round pick in the 2025 NFL draft and former standout for the UCF Knights, enters a crowded quarterback room aiming to carve out playing time in his rookie season.

That depth chart features veteran Deshaun Watson, who remains on the mend from a second Achilles tear; 40-year-old Super Bowl champion Joe Flacco; former Steelers first-rounder Kenny Pickett; and fellow rookie Shedeur Sanders.

In a recent Sports Illustrated NFL Mailbag published Wednesday, senior writer Albert Breer forecasted which quarterback would take snaps under Cleveland’s center.

“But in this case, I do think the Cleveland Browns, with new OC Tommy Rees riding shotgun to head coach Kevin Stefanski, are in a position where they have to figure out who’s going to be legitimately ready to compete for the quarterback job in the summer because there’ll only be so many reps to go around in August, and they’ll have to get the whole offense ready for Week 1,” Breer wrote.

He went on, “Right now, I’d bet on Joe Flacco starting the opener for that reason. But, again, Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders will have the chance to change the equation if they show well enough over the course of May and the first half of June”.

Gabriel rose to prominence at UCF, where he took over as a true freshman in 2019 and led the Knights to a 10–3 season capped by a Gasparilla Bowl victory, completing 236 of 398 passes for 3,653 yards and 29 touchdowns. By the time he departed Orlando, he ranked sixth all-time at UCF with 7,223 passing yards.

football things are happening pic.twitter.com/3eDK667dE6
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) May 7, 2025

Gabriel transferred to Oklahoma for two seasons, then Oregon for one. He racked up another 10,865 yards and 85 touchdowns to close out an incredible college career.

That track record of productivity under center will be on full display this summer, as Gabriel aims to leapfrog the veteran Flacco and fellow newcomers to secure meaningful snaps in Week 1 and beyond.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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