Shedeur Sanders dealt major blow as ‘forgotten’ QB set to be given opportunity to rival for starting Browns job

Shedeur Sanders and Deshaun Watson are expected to be battling it out to become the starting quarterback for the Cleveland Browns in 2026.

But Dillon Gabriel can’t be ruled out of the equation yet either.

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It appeared that former Oregon quarterback’s chances at making a run for the QB1 jersey had already been scuppered, especially with Kevin Stefanski no longer with the organization after being one of many victims of the NFL’s ‘Black Monday’.

But longtime Browns insider Tony Grossi is of the belief that Gabriel has the backing of general manager Andrew Berry, which could see new head coach Todd Monken give him an extended opportunity to battle Sanders and Watson.

“Gabriel is eligible for the practice squad. But I don’t see Andrew Berry risking losing him via waivers,” Grossi said on Thursday.

“Berry has said he believes Gabriel has a bright future in the NFL. The perception that Gabriel’s only advocate in the building was Kevin Stefanski is off base. I believe all along that Berry was Gabriel’s biggest advocate.”

After replacing veteran QB Joe Flacco in Week 5 of the 2025 NFL season, Gabriel made six consecutive starts throwing for 937 yards and seven touchdowns to two interceptions as the Browns went 1-5.

One of the 25-year-old’s biggest criticisms was his seeming unwillingness to push the ball downfield, often playing more conservatively with short throws.

After suffering a concussion in the AFC North clash with the Baltimore Ravens in Week 11, Sanders entered the fray and Gabriel became much more of an afterthought as time went on.

“He may be forgotten externally, but he’s not forgotten to us,” Berry said back at the Scouting Combine in February.

“[He’s] gonna handle everything within his control … Dillon’s a guy that has a bright future in this league.”

Taking over the starting job for the final seven games of the season, Sanders passed for 1,400 yards and seven touchdowns.

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Despite also firing 10 interceptions as he won three games, he was still named a Pro Bowl replacement for his efforts, albeit with much controversy.

Watson targets return as Gabriel faces possibility of being on trade block

As for Watson, his $230 million guaranteed contract was recently restructured in order to give Cleveland some much-needed flexibility in the free-agent market.

The 30-year-old has played just 19 games since his trade to the Dawg Pound in 2022, in which he has completed just 341 passes for 3,365 yards, 19 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.

In fact, Watson hasn’t played a full season since 2020 when with the Houston Texans.

But after sitting out the 2025 campaign as he continued his recovery from a torn Achilles, Watson is bidding to earn back and cement his QB1 role in what Monken has described as an ‘open competition’.

“Sure, I think it’s an open competition,” Monken said in February. “I mean, I don’t why it wouldn’t be an open competition.

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“I don’t mean that saying it harshly, but I don’t think there’s enough on film over the last couple years one way or the other to say, boy, we have our starter at quarterback yet. Whether internally or externally.”

While Gabriel hopes to reinvent himself during the off-season, and claw back any lost ground to the two leading frontrunners in the battle to be the starting quarterback for Cleveland in 2026, his future on the team is not guaranteed.

According to Browns insider Mary Kay Cabot, he could be used as capital in a trade should an opportunity to acquire a higher-touted prospect in the draft arise.

“The Browns still have Gabriel in their plans for 2026 and plan to continue developing him — unless they acquire another developmental quarterback in the draft or free agency,” Cabot said.

“If they add someone whom they believe has more upside potential than Gabriel or who’s more closely aligned with what the coaches are seeking, they’ll consider trading Gabriel on draft weekend or at some other point.

“I think the current regime believes Gabriel will fare better in 2026 — like Shedeur Sanders — with an upgraded supporting cast. But they’ll also be open-minded in their quest to field the best quarterbacks they can find.”

This could be in the form of a player like that of Carson Beck, who has previously worked under Monken when he was the offensive coordinator at Georgia, or Ty Simpson, whose father is a close friend of the Browns’ new head coach.

However, the possibility of perhaps tanking for the 2027 NFL Draft when NIL superstar Arch Manning is expected to be on the board is not entirely off the table either.

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