Key Points
Bullet point summary by AI
- A quarterback battle in Cleveland has left one young player facing an uncertain future despite recent draft investment.
- The Browns may need to trade him to avoid keeping four quarterbacks on the roster heading into the 2026 season.
- The Falcons could benefit from acquiring familiar talent under a coach who previously started him over a higher draft pick.
Is there a stranger quarterback room at the moment than what the Cleveland Browns have going on? A 2025 fifth-round pick in Shedeur Sanders is expected to battle with veteran Deshaun Watson for the starting job, while 2025 third-round pick Dillon Gabriel is likely battling for the third quarterback job with rookie Taylen Green.
Considering Gabriel has already been surpassed on the depth chart by a guy who was drafted multiple rounds after him, it's safe to say there's not much of a future for him in Cleveland. That doesn't mean his NFL career is over, though. In fact, a familiar face might be able to salvage something here.
Proposed Browns-Falcons trade for Dillon Gabriel
Sure, the Browns are selling low on a guy whom they took in the third round just a season ago, but when you get injured and a fifth-round rookie steps into the lineup and keeps the job even once you're back, you pretty instantly lose a lot of value. I'd also argue that the Browns using a third on Gabriel in the first place was a bad decision, as he was more of a late fourth- or early fifth-round guy at best. I mean, people were talking about trade destinations by the preseason last year!
I'd also argue that Cleveland drafting Green this year is a fairly big sign that Gabriel is expendable. He's definitely a project, but Green has the physical tools to be a very, very intriguing player down the line, and it's hard to imagine the team using a sixth-round pick on him just to end up cutting him and hoping he can be stashed on the practice squad. Barring some weird sort of Injured Reserve circumvention, the Browns either have to go into 2026 with four quarterbacks or they have to move on from someone.
As far as compensation, a sixth and a seventh feels right. Giving up multiple picks for a quarterback — even one whose stock is low at the moment — seems like the right price, and while they're late-round picks, they can still potentially be helpful in Cleveland's ongoing rebuild.
Why the Falcons should go after Dillon Gabriel
Why would the Atlanta Falcons want Gabriel? Well, there are a few reasons, starting with the fact that the team is coached by Kevin Stefanski — who coached the Browns last season.
Yes, it was Stefanski who stuck with Sanders after the Gabriel injury, but it was also Stefanski who was high enough on Gabriel to start him over Sanders originally, and we have to imagine he had some say in the Browns drafting Gabriel where they did.
In addition, the Falcons quarterback situation is ... weird. Back in 2024, the team used the No. 8 overall pick on quarterback Michael Penix Jr., who has played 14 games over two seasons since and has a career completion percentage under 60 percent. The team also brought in oft-injured veteran Tua Tagovailoa to compete with Penix this season, a move that could work out well if Tagovailoa stays healthy (though that's obviously a huge question).
But Tagovailoa is only under contract for 2026, and Penix has a fifth-year option for 2028 that Atlanta won't pick up with the way things are trending, so adding another quarterback to this room isn't out of the question. Gabriel might not be the answer, but could be have value as a long-term backup for the franchise, someone who already knows Stefanski's system and can serve as a key piece behind whoever ends up being the future Falcons starter? I think so, and the cost to acquire him is small enough to make it worth exploring.
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