Browns may make final Dillon Gabriel decision before Shedeur Sanders, Deshaun Watson competition truly begins

New Cleveland Browns head coach Todd Monken shared that he "wouldn't say it's a two-man race" regarding a quarterback competition that currently involves 2025 fifth-round draft pick Shedeur Sanders, veteran Deshaun Watson and 2025 third-round choice Dillon Gabriel. 

That said, the perception has existed for months that Gabriel is the odd man out as it pertains to Cleveland's quarterback situation. On Thursday, Browns reporter Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer addressed what it would mean for the signal-callers on Cleveland's roster if the club acquires a quarterback at some point during the 2026 NFL Draft. 

New Browns coaching staff may move on from Dillon Gabriel

"If they do scoop one of these late-round QBs," Cabot wrote about the Browns, "they might consider trading Dillon Gabriel, who’s third on the depth chart."

Throughout the offseason, local and national reporters have referred to Gabriel as the third-choice option for a coaching staff that wasn't employed by the Browns when he was drafted last spring. Former Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski preferred Gabriel over Sanders throughout 2025, and Gabriel went 1-5 over six starts as a rookie before he suffered a concussion in November. Sanders ultimately finished the campaign as Cleveland's QB1. 

What quarterback could Browns select during 2026 NFL Draft? 

As of Thursday morning, there was no indication that the Browns had any interest in spending a high-value draft pick to grab Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson. Cabot mentioned that she didn't "think" the Browns would draft Simpson in the first round on Thursday night, but she did link Cleveland with several other options. 

"They’ll probably keep three on the roster, and can keep a fourth on the practice squad," Cabot said about how the Browns will handle their quarterback situation. "There are a number of intriguing prospects in this class who were expected to go much higher before injuries and other circumstances from the 2025 season. Some candidates include Carson Beck, who played for Todd Monken at Georgia, Penn State’s Drew Allar, the native of Medina, Ohio, LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier, and Arkansas' Taylen Green."

On Thursday morning, ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. suggested that the Pittsburgh Steelers and New York Jets could target either Beck or Allar after the draft's first round. On Wednesday, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler said that his "potential sleeper QB for the Jets in the middle rounds is" Beck.