The Cleveland Browns' quarterback room became very crowded at times during training camp and preseason this offseason.
The Browns had veterans Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett, and rookies Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders vying for the starting spot, but then injuries occurred and the Browns added more names to the bunch.
However, after the team announced Flacco would be the starter, traded Pickett, cut Tyler Huntley, and then signed Bailey Zappe, the Browns have four healthy quarterbacks remaining: Flacco, Gabriel, Sanders and Zappe. With a strong preseason performance, Gabriel earned the No. 2 spot behind Flacco.
Gabriel Ready to Embrace Backup Role
Gabriel won the backup role over fellow rookie, Sanders, with a stronger, more consistent training camp and preseason. Gabriel finished the preseason 25/37 for 272 yards, a touchdown and an interception. The rookie quarterback also only took two sacks.
Now, the former Oregon star quarterback knows what his job entails as the Browns' primary backup.
"My job is to be ready. My job is to continue to get better every day and help Joe every day, whether that’s in the meeting room or asking certain questions every day so that everyone’s on the same page," Gabriel said over the weekend (h/t The Athletic). "The best way to support him is to have a healthy environment in the quarterback room and just have one where everyone can do their best work. I truly think we have that, and we’re building toward that.
"I’m just getting my reps and getting ready for whenever my name is called. It’s not daunting. I have ultimate confidence in myself and who I am."
Some of #Browns QB Dillon Gabriel's work from today's practice. pic.twitter.com/W3FlZgFA34
— Camryn Justice (@camijustice) August 28, 2025
Although Gabriel is a rookie, he has a lot of experience. The rookie quarterback spent six years in college football with three different teams. Gabriel started his college career at UCF, and transferred to Oklahoma in 2022, before finishing his college career at Oregon in 2024.
Gabriel found profound success at every step of his journey. He led the American conference in passing yards and touchdowns in 2020, the Big 12 in completion percentage, pass yards and touchdowns in 2023, and the Big Ten in completions in 2024.
"You look at the work he’s put in every day. You take the foundation of his college career and his experience and all the things that he did in college as well. It’s a running evaluation, it’s a running resume," Browns assistant general manager Glenn Cook said (h/t The Athletic). "And so, I think he just … gained a lot of trust from the coaching staff just in terms of how he worked, and we feel good about it.
"Every player is a play away (from playing), and I know Dillon’s going to prepare and put himself in position. And if he needs to be ready, he’ll be ready."
Gabriel's experience in college gives him a leg-up on a lot of rookies in the NFL. He's matured at a higher level, and that's allowed him to understand the game better and prepare him for the transition to the NFL.
If you want to know why Dillon Gabriel is QB2 in Cleveland, I have four reasons to show you. pic.twitter.com/cbwR1wSP2j
— Doug Farrar ✍ (@NFL_DougFarrar) August 27, 2025
"There’s a lot that goes into being a backup quarterback in this league, and you have to be ready at a moment’s notice when you don’t get reps. (As the backup) you have to understand the game plan as well as, if not better than, the starter," Stefanski said (h/t The Athletic). "You have to support the starter. You have to be in there, tied at the hip with the starter in so many of these meetings and in the preparation getting ready, and then you have to stay ready.
"It’s one of those things we talk about, really, at every single position, you have to stay ready, so you don’t have to get ready. That’s important, certainly, for all positions, and it’s important in the quarterback room as well."
Although Gabriel didn't win the starting position, his role as the Browns' primary backup quarterback may be just as important. It will also allow the rookie to sit and watch how a veteran approaches the game and learn from it.