Todd Monken reveals when Browns QB Dillon Gabriel’s mysterious back injury happened

The Cleveland Browns are less than two weeks away from kicking off their 2026 NFL season, with Deshaun Watson having been named the starting quarterback. Meanwhile, backup Dillon Gabriel recently suffered a back injury as training camp winds down.

Now, head coach Todd Monken has provided the latest update in that department.

“I don’t know exactly when it happened. He feels like it was the third down of a zone read that he pulled it. It kind of got twisted awkwardly. I think he’s going to be fine. It’s just a little uncomfortable throwing now,” he said, per Scott Petrak of The Chronicle-Telegram and Medina Gazette on X, formerly Twitter.

Gabriel figures to be the Browns’ third-string quarterback this year, after Watson was named as the starter and rising second-year player Shedeur Sanders the backup. Gabriel started some for the Browns last year after Joe Flacco was traded, but ended up getting injured and losing the role to Sanders, who was up and down in his first year as a pro.

Meanwhile, Watson was also a mixed bag during the Browns’ preseason slate this year, with some fans speculating that the enormous amount of money that the team has tied to him played a big role in Monken’s decision to make him the starter.

It’s certainly not off the board that all three of them could end up seeing time at starting quarterback again this year, depending on both injury and their performances on the field.

In any case, the Browns are slated to kick off their upcoming season on September 13 with a road game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

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