Ever since the start of the offseason for the Cleveland Browns, which included minicamp and OTAs, head coach Todd Monken declared the quarterback competition to be a two-horse race between Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders.
Watson's inclusion made sense, as the Browns signed him to a five-year, $230 million fully guaranteed deal in 2022 that has been met with far subpar play and injuries, as Watson has only suited up for 19 games as a Brown. The franchise is trying to squeeze something, anything out of the former Pro-Bowler. Sanders, a fifth-round pick in 2025, started the final seven games of his rookie season, posting poor counting and advanced stats, but led Cleveland to a 3-4 record.
The two quarterbacks included in the race make sense. But the exclusion of former Oregon Ducks quarterback Dillon Gabriel, a third-rounder in 2025, was a bit puzzling.
Sure, he'd gone just 1-5 as the starter as a rookie and struggled to push the ball down the field, but he kept the ball out of harms way, throwing seven touchdowns to two interceptions. Considering the draft capital that the Browns had invested in Gabriel, plus only middling quarterback play in a downright bad offensive atmosphere around him, there's a case to be made that the former Duck should've had at least some chance to earn the Browns' starting job.
Yet, he wasn't given any shot, taking reps with Cleveland's third-team all summer.
#Browns
Watson's inclusion made sense, as the Browns signed him to a five-year, $230 million fully guaranteed deal in 2022 that has been met with far subpar play and injuries, as Watson has only suited up for 19 games as a Brown. The franchise is trying to squeeze something, anything out of the former Pro-Bowler. Sanders, a fifth-round pick in 2025, started the final seven games of his rookie season, posting poor counting and advanced stats, but led Cleveland to a 3-4 record.
The two quarterbacks included in the race make sense. But the exclusion of former Oregon Ducks quarterback Dillon Gabriel, a third-rounder in 2025, was a bit puzzling.
Sure, he'd gone just 1-5 as the starter as a rookie and struggled to push the ball down the field, but he kept the ball out of harms way, throwing seven touchdowns to two interceptions. Considering the draft capital that the Browns had invested in Gabriel, plus only middling quarterback play in a downright bad offensive atmosphere around him, there's a case to be made that the former Duck should've had at least some chance to earn the Browns' starting job.
Yet, he wasn't given any shot, taking reps with Cleveland's third-team all summer.
#Browns
2 months ago
