The highly-publicized training camp battle between Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders wasn’t the only heated competition at the position. Former third-round pick Dillon Gabriel and rookie Taylen Green have been fighting for the No. 3 quarterback job, and a spot on the 53-man roster.
Gabriel made the start in Thursday’s preseason finale against the New England Patriots, with both Watson and Sanders sitting. He put on a show, completed 12 of 15 passes for 186 yards and three touchdowns, posting a 157.9 passer rating, emphatically staking his claim for the No. 3 job.
Rookie Taylen Green Also Showed out in Second Half
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While Gabriel likely did enough to secure the No. 3 job, the rookie Green saw his first snaps of the preseason, and showed his dual-threat ability. He completed 5 of 7 passes for 27 yards on most dink-and-dunk type stuff. But, he also ran eight times for a game-best 66 yards, including a 30-yard scamper, which was the longest run of the game for any player.
While Gabriel likely did enough to warrant consideration for the 53-man roster, it also wouldn’t be surprising to see the southpaw traded, perhaps improving his stock enough for the Browns to get a Day 3 back in return, rather than Gabriel languishing on the bench behind Watson and Sanders.
Of course, if management feels good about both Gabriel and Green, they could carry four quarterbacks into the season, similar to 2025, when Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, Gabriel and Sanders were on the roster. There is no way the Browns will be able to stash Green on the practice squad, so there’s that.
Watson will be a free agent after the 2026 season, and barring an unexpected run to the playoffs, and an all-Pro kind of a season, he isn’t likely to be brought back. And, even if that were to happen, he likely has such a sour taste in his mouth from his time in Cleveland, and feelings about the fans, that he wouldn’t re-sign with the Browns, even if that was an option.
As such, it’s wise for the Browns to hang onto a pair of young quarterbacks who could be developed along with Sanders. Finding capable NFL caliber quarterbacks hasn’t exactly been a specialty of the Browns organization, so when they have multiple promising signal callers, they certainly don’t to, and shouldn’t want to, pull the plug.
