Cleveland Browns HC Kevin Stefanski Gives Injury Update On Dillon Gabriel

Coming out of college, Gabriel had an impressive resume, throwing for over 18,500 yards and 155 touchdowns during his six season at the collegiate level. Known for his accuracy, Gabriel also finished with an average QBR of 160.6 throughout his time with UCF, Oklahoma and Oregon. Due to his incredible run, general manager Andrew Berry would ultimately select the 24-year-old quarterback in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft.

However, this became a complicated situation for Cleveland, as Berry would go on to select an additional quarterback two rounds later in Colorado Buffaloes standout Shedeur Sanders. While it's common for a franchise to take multiple quarterbacks in the same draft class, the Browns traded for former 2022 first-round pick Kenny Pickett and signed veteran Joe Flacco earlier this offseason. Despite having a four quarterbacks in the room, Cleveland kept all four quarterbacks through the duration of training camp.

What This Means For Gabriel

After Sanders' terrific performance in the team's first preseason contest against the Carolina Panthers last Friday, the pressure is now on Gabriel heading into the Browns' second preseason game against the Philadelphia Eagles. Both Gabriel and Pickett were sidelined during the pervious contest due to leg injuries, allowing for Sanders to play three quarters.

Gabriel, throughout training camp this year, was clearly the third quarterback in Cleveland's rotation, which took reps away from Sanders. It made sense that the highly-decorated quarterback would be given more opportunities after being the first QB selected. Despite being listed as the third-string quarterback on the team's first depth chart, missing the first preseason contest could shorten the gap between him and his fellow rookie.

Stefanski also told reporters on Monday that Gabriel will play against the Eagles on Saturday, but has yet to name a starter for the matchup. With Pickett still limited due to his hamstring injury, both Gabriel and Sanders will likely see an increase in reps this week prior to the second preseason matchup.