Cleveland Browns quarterback Dillon Gabriel will open the season on injured reserve after a back injury that first showed up during the team’s preseason finale, coach Todd Monken said.
The Browns kept four quarterbacks on the books but only three on the active 53-man roster. Deshaun Watson is the starter. Shedeur Sanders is the top backup. Rookie Taylen Green is the third-stringer.
Gabriel, last year’s third-round pick, was placed on IR with a designation to return.
That move means Gabriel must sit out at least the first four regular-season games. After that, the team gets a 21-day window to activate him. If he is not ready by then, he stays on IR for the rest of 2026.
The injury caught many by surprise. Gabriel started Thursday night against the New England Patriots and played the entire first half. He completed 12 of 15 passes for 186 yards and three touchdowns. He did not leave the game and even directed three scoring drives after the play that now appears to have caused the problem.
Monken offered the first public details Monday.
“I don’t know exactly when it happened,” Monken said. “He feels like it was the third down in the zone read that he pulled it, kind of got twisted awkwardly. I think he’s going to be fine and just a little uncomfortable throwing now.”
The play came near the end of the first quarter. Gabriel kept the ball on a read-option and was tackled for a four-yard loss. He took a hit to the back as he went down. At the time it looked routine. He stayed in and finished a strong half.
Four days later the Browns finalized the roster and Gabriel was on IR. Pain had increased over the weekend. He missed practice and underwent an MRI as a precaution. Team officials have said they do not consider it a long-term issue.
With Gabriel sidelined, Monken said Sanders and Green will share scout-team work during the week. That arrangement gives Green extra snaps he did not get much of in training camp.
Green is treating it as a chance, not a guarantee.
“Every single day is an opportunity. Yeah, he’s on the IR, but he’s pushing me too and I’m pushing him,” Green said. “So yeah, it’s an opportunity to show what I can do, but at the same time, I just can continue to control what I can control and just take it day by day and just continue to prepare like I’m starting.”
The crowded quarterback room had been a talking point all summer. Watson won the starting job over Sanders. Gabriel had been the third option heading into camp. Green’s late preseason work and the unexpected injury changed the math.
Gabriel started six games as a rookie in 2025. He finished the year with 937 passing yards, seven touchdowns and two interceptions. A concussion in Week 11 ended his starting run, and Sanders took over the rest of the season.
Now the 25-year-old from Oregon will spend the first month of 2026 rehabbing. The Browns say they expect him back. Until then Watson, Sanders and Green will handle the snaps.
The team opens the regular season next week. Gabriel’s status will be monitored closely once the four-game minimum is up. For now the Browns have their three active quarterbacks and one more waiting in the wings.
