The Cleveland Browns have an increasingly urgent call to make behind starting quarterback Deshaun Watson. Quarterbacks Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel (back) remain central to the club’s long-term depth-chart picture, but Watson’s three consecutive game-winning fourth-quarter drives have sharply reduced the live-game evaluation opportunities for either younger passer.
Locked On Browns host Doug Durocher said Cleveland now has to determine who should hold the No. 2 job, framing Gabriel as the safer option and Sanders as the quarterback with the greater upside. Sanders opened the season as Watson’s backup while Gabriel went on injured reserve with a designation to return before the opener.
Gabriel became eligible to return after the first four games, but eligibility alone does not start the 21-day activation clock. That window begins only if the Browns designate him for return to practice, leaving the team room to continue weighing its options rather than forcing an immediate corresponding move.
Watson has given the Browns little practical incentive to interrupt the current arrangement. He has completed 80 of 115 passes for 855 yards and six touchdowns, added 127 rushing yards and led Cleveland to a 3-1 start. His late-game production has made the backup decision more difficult because neither Sanders nor Gabriel has received the regular-season reps that would create an easy on-field comparison.
Durocher argued that a trade market could ultimately influence the outcome as much as Cleveland’s internal evaluation. The Browns can afford to value different traits in each passer, but they also have to protect a quarterback room that has become vital to both the present season and the club’s plans beyond Watson.
Durocher also raised trade speculation around Browns wide receiver Jerry Jeudy, whose declining role has coincided with the emergence of younger pass catchers. Jeudy still made two key receptions on Watson’s final drive against Pittsburgh, including a catch that helped set up Andre Szmyt’s game-winning field goal, giving Cleveland a recent reminder of the veteran’s situational value.
Cleveland’s next roster decision should clarify whether it views Gabriel as a player worth activating, a trade asset, or a candidate to keep in reserve. Until then, Watson’s success ensures the Sanders-Gabriel question will have to be settled with limited new game evidence.
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