Dillon Gabriel Joins Tom Brady With Impressive Feat

Gabriel completed 61 of 103 passes over the last three games, a 59.2 completion percentage. He’s yet to throw an interception in a regular-season game but has three touchdowns on the season.

The Browns selected Gabriel in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft after his senior season at Oregon. Gabriel led the Ducks to an undefeated regular season in 2024 and finished third in Heisman Trophy voting.

The transfer quarterback starred within the Oregon offense in his year wth the program. Gabriel threw 30 total touchdowns and only six interceptions. He completed 72.9 percent of his passes for 3,857 yards and also ran for seven touchdowns.

Cleveland clearly liked what it saw from the Ducks’ 2024 quarterback in his final collegiate season. The franchise’s trust in Gabriel seems to be growing. His first snaps came on Sept. 14 against Baltimore when he completed all three of his passes and threw his first touchdown.

Veteran quarterback Joe Flacco began the season as Cleveland’s starter, but the franchise benched him ahead of Gabriel’s first start in the NFL London Games. The rookie threw two touchdowns in a loss. The Browns ended up trading Flacco shortly after that game, showing trust in Gabriel as a rookie quarterback.

How Other Former Oregon Quarterbacks Performed In Their First Starts

The Ducks have a good track record when it comes to recent quarterbacks who’ve starred in the NFL. The other NFL quarterback that Oregon’s Dan Lanning coached is the Denver Broncos' Bo Nix.

Unlike Gabriel, Nix started the beginning of his rookie season in 2024. Nix struggled in his first three games, throwing two picks and failing to record a touchdown pass in that span.

Meanwhile, Justin Herbert threw an interception in each of his first three starts for the Los Angeles Chargers in 2020. Marcus Mariota had the best start to his NFL career among the three most recent Ducks drafted to the NFL before Gabriel. He threw eight touchdown passes in his first three games in 2015, but did throw a pair of picks.

Things worked out for Nix, Herbert and Mariota at the professional level. Both Nix and Herbert remain starters for their franchises, while Mariota has solidified himself as one of the most reliable backup quarterbacks in the league, now 10 years into his career.

Even though Gabriel looks to add to his touchdown total, he’s doing something his fellow Pro Ducks couldn’t do to begin their careers: avoid costly turnovers. Time will tell if Cleveland’s 31-6 victory over the Miami Dolphins sparks a win streak for Gabriel and the Browns.