Browns Make Statement on Starting QB After Drafting Dillon Gabriel

The Cleveland Browns selected record-setting Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel in the third round of the NFL draft, adding an interesting wrinkle to their quarterback competition.

The Browns opted for Gabriel over Shedeur Sanders, who remained on the board after the third round. Gabriel was the most experienced quarterback in the draft. He began his college career at UCF, where he completed 554 of 913 passes for 8,037 yards and 70 touchdowns over three seasons.

He transferred to Oklahoma in 2022, adding 6,828 yards and 55 touchdowns on 496 of 751 passing attempts across two seasons. Gabriel finished his collegiate career at Oregon in 2024, completing 326 of 447 passes for 3,857 yards and 30 touchdowns. His 155 career passing touchdowns set a new all-time FBS record.

The Browns’ front office has valued experience when selecting quarterbacks in the draft. The Browns selected Dorian Thompson-Robinson in the fifth round of the 2023 draft. He had started 50 games at UCLA.

Dillon Gabriel Will Compete for Browns Starting QB Job

Gabriel walks into a quarterback room that includes 40-year-old Joe Flacco and former first-round pick Kenny Pickett. Gabriel will be involved in the quarterback competition, per head coach Kevin Stefanski, who gave a fairly open-ended answer.

“All of our players are competing for starting jobs, I think,” Stefanski said. “But the most important part for any player walking into our building is really focusing on the work that it’s going to entail. We’ll get our hands on them in a couple of weekends at the rookie mini camp, but we anticipate all of our players to carve out a role, whether that’s as a starter, as a backup, it’s really no different here.”

Both Flacco and Pickett have been told they’ll get a shot at the starting job, and adding a rookie only intensifies the competition.

“That’s the plan, man. I’m not going there to hang out,” Pickett said, via the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. “I want to go play. I’m excited, been working hard for it, taking it a day at a time.”

Flacco expressed a similar sentiment.

“I mean, that’s all you can ask for in this league. I don’t really have any expectations besides to go out there, be myself and kind of put my head down, work hard, and of just do things the way I know how to,” Flacco said.

Browns Done With Deshaun Watson

The Browns’ current quarterback conundrum stems from their disastrous trade for Deshaun Watson — a move that cost them three first-round picks and saddled the franchise with a fully guaranteed $230 million contract through 2026.

Watson is expected to miss most, if not all, of next season recovering from an Achilles injury. The team has indicated that they are ready to move on from Watson, despite him being under contract for two more seasons.

“We took a big swing-and-miss with Deshaun,” Browns owner Jimmy Haslam said at the league’s annual meeting. “We thought we had the quarterback; we didn’t. And we gave up a lot of draft picks to get him, so we’ve got to dig ourselves out of that hole.”

Watson has struggled to find success in Cleveland, posting a 9-10 record as the starter, including a disappointing 1-6 mark this past season. Over that span, he has thrown for 3,365 yards, 19 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions.

Adding Gabriel gives the Browns a long-term project at quarterback. Meanwhile, trading out of the No. 2 pick this year stocked Cleveland with a pair of first-rounders next year — valuable assets they could use next year to target a true franchise quarterback.