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Cleveland Browns rookie quarterback Dillon Gabrie l is competing for a starting job, and one of the biggest challenges he faces this offseason is the number of quarterbacks on the Browns’ roster, including fellow rookie Shedeur Sanders.
In addition to Sanders, Gabriel is competing with veteran quarterbacks Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett. NFL Insider Field Yates appeared on “ The Daily Grossi” discussing where things stand with the former Oregon Ducks quarterback.
Yates believes the Browns are going to stick to their word that the quarterback competition is wide open. The Browns will begin training camp shortly and even in August when roster cutdowns begin, Cleveland may not have a clear starter.
Flacco is projected to be the team's starter because he is the veteran with experience on the Browns. Even if Flacco does start week one, there could be a starter change mid-season.
During minicamp, Gabriel got the most reps of every quarterback. Yates explained why he believes the former Ducks quarterback got more reps than Flacco and the other quarterbacks. Flacco has been in the league since 2008 and the Browns understand what Flacco can do.
“I think that I’m not surprised that Dillon ends up with the most reps for this reason, Joe Flacco, at some point, you go like the difference between like your one thousandth and your thousand and first practice,” Yates said. “It’s diminishing returns even if it’s in a, not an entirely new system, but obviously being back with the Browns.”
“Nothing has happened in the past, call it two months has totally changed the calculus of how these two players stack up, right?” Yates said, discussing the two rookies. “You can have a little bit of a lead, you can gather some momentum, but like still ultimately I believe that Dillon Gabriel is the quarterback the Browns think has the better chance of their two rookies to eventually become either a part-time starter or an excellent, excellent starter.”
Per ESPN Cleveland, Gabriel finished the five open practices with 83 pass attempts. The closest quarterback behind him was Pickett with 83 attempts. Gabriel finished with 48 completions and eight touchdowns. Sanders had one more touchdown than Gabriel with nine.
Gabriel helped lead the Oregon Ducks through a successful 2024 season. The Ducks were ranked No. 1 in the nation ahead of the College Football Playoff and had an undefeated regular season. Gabriel continuously grew throughout the season, passing for 3,857 yards and 30 touchdowns. He threw just six interceptions and finished the season with a 72.9 completion percentage.
Being drafted in the third round Gabriel may not start week one of the regular season, but the Browns could look to change the starter at some point in 2025. The preseason will likely be a crucial time for Gabriel. While he is performing well in practices, using the preseason games as a test run could show the team he deserves a chance at being the franchise’s starter.
The Browns first preseason game will be against the Carolina Panthers on Aug. 8.
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Six NBA players most likely to be traded
NBA teams won't assemble for training camp until September, but some players may not be on those teams for long. Here are six NBA players likely to get traded in the upcoming season. 1. Lauri Markkanen, Utah Jazz Some NBA teams go all-in. The Utah Jazz have gone all-out, ditching veterans Collin Sexton, Jordan Clarkson and John Collins this summer. Their lone remaining high-priced player is Lauri Markkanen, a 2023 All-Star who has four years and $196M left on his contract. He had a down year in 2024-25, playing just 47 games and dropping to 19 points per game, but the Jazz were also holding Markkanen out so much that they got fined. Markkanen's shooting would fit on nearly any NBA team, and he's still only 28 years old. The Jazz have amassed a lot of future draft picks, but many of them aren't great — pick swaps with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Minnesota Timberwolves, and a 2027 Los Angeles Lakers first-rounder. Trading their Finnish superstar could get them a huge return, especially if NBA teams are seeing him dominate in EuroBasket exhibition games. 2. Jonathan Kuminga, Golden State Warriors It seems like a foregone conclusion that Jonathan Kuminga will resign with the Golden State Warriors and equally inevitable that the Warriors will then try to trade their 22-year-old forward. The only holdup is that the restricted free agent and his team can't agree on a new contract. The Warriors need to get something back for their former lottery pick, but they also need to preserve his salary slot. Kuminga and his agent couldn't work out a sign-and-trade this summer, but once free agents who signed this summer can be traded Dec. 15, far more trade options will open up. Kuminga doesn't want to be on the Warriors. The Warriors don't want to guarantee him playing time. The breakup looks like it's coming. 3. Anfernee Simons, Boston Celtics In a year where the Boston Celtics have dramatically slashed their payroll in Jayson Tatum's absence, they have a huge incentive to deal Anfernee Simons, the guard acquired from the Portland Trail Blazers in the Jrue Holiday trade. Getting rid of Simons gets them under the luxury tax, which is worth tens of millions of dollars, while also keeping the Celtics out of penalties for repeatedly being a tax team. It all depends on whether the Celtics will settle for the financial savings or hold out to get assets back for the impending free agent. But Simons is almost certainly headed somewhere. 4. P.J. Washington, Dallas Mavericks P.J. Washington was a huge part of the Dallas Mavericks' run to the NBA Finals in 2024. Unfortunately, he plays the same position as the guy the Mavericks just took with the No. 1 pick in the draft, Cooper Flagg. The Mavericks also have Anthony Davis, Dereck Lively II and the newly-extended Daniel Gafford. Washington and his expiring contract are now expendable. 5. CJ McCollum/Khris Middleton, Washington Wizards The Washington Wizards took on McCollum and Middleton in trades in the past year, moves that were primarily made to shed the long-term salaries of Jordan Poole and Kyle Kuzma. But even though those players were both born in 1991, they should still be able to contribute to winning teams in 2025-26. The Wizards may value their veteran leadership, but they also have a roster full of recent draft picks who need playing time — and you can never have too many future draft picks.
Jimmy Garoppolo's pass to Davante Adams draws attention for wrong reasons
Jimmy Garoppolo and Davante Adams have been reunited on the Los Angeles Rams, and the star receiver may have nightmares over one throw that came his way on Thursday. The Rams and New Orleans Saints held a joint training camp practice on Thursday. At one point during an 11-on-11 scrimmage, Garoppolo floated a pass toward Adams into traffic over the middle of the field. Adams did not make the catch, and for good reason. He was between three defenders and was fortunate that hitting was not allowed. Otherwise, he probably would have gotten throttled. It is possible that Garoppolo threw the pass knowing Adams was not going to be hit by a defender. The veteran quarterback would probably think twice about making a throw like that during an actual game — or so Adams hopes. Adams was one of the players featured on the Netflix documentary series "Receivers" last year. During one of the episodes, Adams was shown ranting about Garoppolo when the two were teammates on the Raiders. Adams was heard saying he needed to get out of Las Vegas "before I lose my (expletive) life." The six-time Pro Bowl receiver also said he had "never been hit this many (expletive) times in my career." Garoppolo is now the backup with the Rams and has been taking first-team reps while Matthew Stafford nurses a back injury. Adams said in an interview last month that he loves Garoppolo and chalked any previous issues up to everyone being "pretty miserable" when the Raiders were losing. The Rams are hoping Stafford will be fully healthy by Week 1. If he is not, Garoppolo may have to play. The quarterback had better get those so-called "hospital balls" out of his system in training camp.
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Browns 'leaving their possibilities open' for shocking quarterback development
A recent Instagram video showed Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson sprinting as he works to return to action after he suffered a torn Achilles tendon last October and then reinjured the Achilles during his recovery. Watson has spent portions of the summer sharing a quarterback room with presumed Week 1 starter Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, 2025 third-round draft pick Dillon Gabriel and 2025 fifth-rounder Shedeur Sanders. During a Thursday appearance on Cleveland sports radio station 92.3 The Fan, Browns insider Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer was asked if Watson could play for the club during the upcoming season. "Nothing would shock me, so I just think that we all have to stay tuned for that," Cabot responded, as shared by Stephen Douglas of Sports Illustrated. "Will [the Browns] ever let [Watson] set foot on the field for them again? I don't really know, but he is certainly determined. And the Browns, every time they talk about Deshaun Watson nowadays, it's in glowing terms about what he's doing inside of that building. How he is mentoring the younger guys. His attitude. His work ethic. So he's in good standing with the club right now, and I think that anything can happen." Sanders was a favorite among pockets of Cleveland fans and national media members even before he completed 14-of-23 passes for 138 yards and two touchdowns in a 30-10 win over the Carolina Panthers on Aug. 8. However, he's now dealing with an oblique injury that could sideline him through Cleveland's final two preseason games. Neither Pickett nor Gabriel played against Carolina because of hamstring injuries. Gabriel will start Cleveland's preseason matchup at the Philadelphia Eagles this Saturday if he's healthy enough to go for that contest. As for Watson, whispers first emerged this past spring hinting he doesn't want to spend the entire 2025 season on injured reserve. More recently, an update from earlier in August suggested that Watson has a chip on his shoulder after Browns owner Jimmy Haslam said in March that Cleveland "took a big swing and miss with Deshaun." "They haven't ruled him out," Cabot added about the Browns' handling of Watson this summer. "I mean, they haven't put him on the shelf for the whole entire season, so I think they're leaving their possibilities open." According to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, the Browns would face a 2026 salary-cap charge of $131.161M if they release Watson during the season. Watson has made just 19 regular-season starts since he accepted a fully guaranteed five-year, $230M contract to accept a trade from the Houston Texans to the Browns in March 2022. Browns general manager Andrew Berry has insisted the club could have four quarterbacks on the active roster for its Week 1 game against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sept. 7. Eventually, Berry may have to make room on the depth chart for Watson unless the two sides come to an agreement that results in the 29-year-old sitting until next season.
Joint practice represents biggest day for Bears' tackle shuffle
Last Friday's practice against Miami was easily the biggest one of Bears training camp to that date. They learned their first-team defense stacked up well against an offense regarded as potentially explosive and they saw enough bigger plays from Caleb Williams with the offense to expect they'll all eventually come around after more reps. Just like with anything in the NFL season, the more you get into it they only get bigger. Friday's practice against the Buffalo Bills is even more critical for the Bears and definitely the biggest of training camp because much could be revealed at tackle. It's huge because it could be the key practice in the tackle shuffle going on, and that left tackle spot might eventually be the key to how well their offense plays -- at least in the early season. There are only two practices after Friday before the preseason workouts end. They have Tuesday and Wednesday practices next week prior to the Friday, Aug. 22 game at Kansas City. There are two days off, one for travel and one after Sunday's game in that time frame. What happens in this Friday practice and the game with Buffalo will provide plenty of food for coaches' thoughts. Again on Thursday the Bears looked at undrafted second-year tackle Theo Benedet at left tackle with starters. They've never used Jones anywhere but left tackle and that's where he remains, for the most part, although they did have him line up at right tackle for some walk-through plays. Meanwhile, they've worked Ozzy Trapilo at right tackle with the backups behind starter Darnell Wright for two practices. It all sounds like one of several scenarios could be unfolding. 1. Jones has left tackle spot It will remain status quo despite some of the harsh words line coach Dan Roushar had for the one whiff Jones had in Sunday's tie with Miami, calling it "inexcusable." Ultimately, it was a meaningless preseason game. They must have confidence Jones has done better both in camp and also starting for two other years, because inexcusable didn't mean cutting him. Moving Trapilo to right tackle this week in practice makes sense because he would be in the mix for swing tackle and would need plays on that side to make sure he's in the flow. He hasn't played there much in camp or since last year at Boston College. The Bears put him with the backups because it really makes little sense to give starter Darnell Wright reps against second-team guys when he's obviously their starting right tackle and has been facing starting competition for two-plus seasons. He gets no benefit from facing backups. Making Wright play with the backups would make no sense unless they really were considering putting his job up for grabs. There is absolutely no indication of this. So they left Wright with starters when he was on the field and let Trapilo play with second-teamers at practice against backup defensive linemen like Austin Booker, Dominique Robinson and Tonah Kpassagnon. As for Benedet, they really want to see what he's capable of doing because it's possible fourth or fifth tackles would be on the practice squad. Last year they kept only three tackles on the initial 53-man roster but spent most of the season with four tackles on it. Larry Borom had been designated to return from IR at the start. They waived Jake Curhan, but later brought him back to the practice squad. They had Kiran Amegadjie as a rookie on the roster. Most of the season was spent with four tackles. Benedet spent last year on the practice squad but flashed with his pass blocking in Sunday's tie. It's possible he was so good they might think he fits better than Amegadjie. They had Amegadjie work with the third team at left tackle, which can't be good for him any way you look at it. Perhaps Amegadjie's roster spot is in danger despite being a 2024 third-round pick. Either way, the fourth tackle might need to play and they have to be sure if Benedet has the potential to be that guy. 2. Jones will being traded This will be the more controversial option. They could have already determined Trapilo is good enough to start at left tackle and they want to see if Benedet really has the skill he flashed because he might need to be the swing tackle and not a practice squad player. If they trade Jones, it's entirely possible they would need to play Trapilo at right tackle if Wright suffered an injured. If Jones had been pulled from playing with starters, it would be easier for suspicion he'll be traded soon, but he has continued to get some plays as starter. It could be they're not certain Jones will be traded and they're just preparing for the possibility. Regardless, Benedet is going to need experience at both tackles to be on the roster as a swing tackle, so his reps at left tackle make sense. He had been playing right tackle earlier. 3. Uncertain Roushar At this point, it's unlikely Roushar would be undecided on what he'll do at left tackle and right tackle. He's had all offseason to look at these players. However, it's simply possible he isn't certain about the pecking order or experience level for backups at each spot and needs as many reps against the best possible competition for them to make sure who's swing tackle and fourth tackle. So, Benedet gets first-team plays because he showed something against Miami they hadn't previously seen and he has been the only one of the top five tackles not to get regular reps against first- and second-string players. Benedet is a bit like guard Bill Murray last year, who came out of nowhere to get onto the roster. Benedet has been here, he just wasn't really taken seriously by media. 4. Trapilo is left tackle starter If they had decided this already, and were designating Jones as swing tackle, they'd probably need Trapilo getting as many first-team reps as possible. So he'd be getting all of them. But this isn't the case. This seems the most unlikely scenario, but it doesn't mean Trapilo wouldn't eventually be left tackle starter if a trade of Jones occurred in-season.
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