Browns Trade Pitch Flips Dillon Gabriel for Former No. 4 Pick With Huge Upside

The Cleveland Browns‘ quarterback situation has been clouded in uncertainty throughout the preseason to this point, but the relative heat of training camp is about to burn the mist away.

Most NFL insiders believe that either Joe Flacco or Kenny Pickett will be playing elsewhere by the time the Browns announce their unofficial 53-man roster at the end of August, with Pickett being the more likely of the two to exit. That would mean Flacco will likely start the year as QB1 and bridge to either Sheduer Sanders or Dillon Gabriel as the future starter.

One of those two rookies is likely to win the job or cement himself as a top-two option under center heading into 2026, as the Browns could end up with another high draft pick next spring and use it to select a QB early in the first round — perhaps Arch Manning of Texas, should he declare after his third collegiate season. Cleveland also owns the first-round pick of the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2026, which could end up inside the top 10 and will give the Browns plenty of ammunition to move up in the draft order if they so choose.

The point is that between Flacco, Pickett, Sanders and Gabriel — all four of whom are vying for employment and the starting job in Cleveland in 2026 — it is entirely possible that only one remains on the roster heading into training camp one year from now. That scenario would mean the Browns trade or cut Pickett this summer, move on from a 40-year-old Flacco after his one-year deal in 2025 and trade either Sanders or Gabriel, whichever one doesn’t win the starting job this season, either ahead of the mid-season deadline or at some point next spring.

Browns Could Trade Either Dillon Gabriel, Shedeur Sanders Ahead of 2026 Season

Who has more trade value presently between Sanders and Gabriel is a topic of some debate. Gabriel was a third-rounder while Cleveland selected Sanders in the fifth round, and Gabriel has also taken more snaps with the first-team offense and against the first-team defense than Sanders has through mandatory minicamp.

That said, Tony Grossi of ESPN Cleveland expects Sanders to be the most popular player at training camp, and fans have met with palpable ire any ideas of trading Sanders for a talent upgrade before his rookie season begins.

But that doesn’t change the fact that there could be highly talented quarterbacks available as early as August, including Anthony Richardson of the Indianapolis Colts. The former No. 4 overall pick in 2023 is battling a shoulder injury and is currently well behind Daniel Jones in the fight for the QB1 spot in Indy.

“Daniel Jones is QB1 (for now). The Colts signed the ex-Giants/Vikings quarterback in free agency to challenge Anthony Richardson for the QB1 title in Indy, and Jones has already taken a significant lead in what was supposed to be a wide-open quarterback competition,” James Boyd of The Athletic reported on Monday, June 23. “There is no timetable for [Richardson’s] return, per Colts coach Shane Steichen, which further positions Jones to take over as the Week 1 starter.”

Anthony Richardson Could Offer Browns High-Upside Value Play in Dillon Gabriel Trade

Should Richardson lose that battle, the Colts may well look to trade him, even though his value will be at an all-time low.

That scenario could work out perfectly for the Browns, however, if they are willing to part with one of their rookie QBs either before the summer is out or ahead of the November 4 trade deadline.

A straight-up swap of Richardson for Gabriel, or the inclusion of a late Day-2/early Day-3 pick from Cleveland, could bring in a 23-year-old in Richardson with elite arm strength and mobility to play behind and/or compete with Sanders for a starting job down the stretch of the season.

The Browns could exercise a fifth-year option on Richardson’s rookie contract next offseason, which would give Cleveland the rights to the next three years of his career, including 2025. The team would hold the rights to four years of Sanders’ career, including 2025, and potentially five years of a 2026 first-round rookie drafted at, or near, the No. 1 overall pick.