The Cleveland Browns have opened the season at 3-1, a start that has surprised much of the league and, by all accounts, even head coach Todd Monken.
Cleveland has not been flashy. It has been efficient, grinding out three one-score victories built on late, game-winning drives. Deshaun Watson has been the steady hand in those moments, rediscovering a knack for the final series that has quieted the questions that hung over the quarterback room when the season began.
Those questions have not disappeared. Shedeur Sanders remains the backup. Taylen Green sits behind him as the developmental piece.
Dillon Gabriel, the team’s third-round pick in 2025, is still on injured reserve with a back injury that has drawn skepticism around the building.
If the designation was a roster maneuver more than a genuine medical hold, it is not one Gabriel can be expected to accept indefinitely. He wants snaps, or at least a real chance to be the backup.
Four weeks of Watson winning close games make either outcome unlikely in Cleveland.
Something has to give. The Browns cannot carry four quarterbacks for long. Gabriel is eligible to come off injured reserve this week, which would open a practice window, or the club could move him once he is healthy.
A late-round return would not be glamorous, but it would recoup some of what Cleveland spent to draft him. Public reporting has suggested the Browns intend to keep the room intact through the November trade deadline.
ESPN’s Daniel Oyefusi is not convinced.
Speaking Friday on 92.3 The Fan in Cleveland, Oyefusi said Gabriel’s return is approaching faster than the roster can comfortably absorb.
“It’s going to be interesting, like you said, Dillon is eligible to come off injured reserve and return to practice,” Oyefusi said. “There is a 21-day ramp up for a return to practice, so there is a little bit of time. Maybe three weeks before they have to make a decision.
“I’ll say this, Andrew Berry loves him a trade. He loves him a QB trade, whether that’s trading for one or trading away one. I don’t think he wants to necessarily give away anybody in that QB room, but if that value’s there, I think that he’ll definitely be open to it. Because you know, these roster mechanics, these roster spots are so precious, it is tough to keep four and really keep two guys who are going to have no type of impact on game day.”
Berry’s history supports that reading. He has dealt quarterbacks before, in both directions, and Oyefusi sees no reason the general manager would suddenly treat the position as untouchable.
Watson’s early form has bought the starter time. It has not solved the math of a four-man room once Gabriel is cleared. “That’s definitely going to be an underlying storyline to watch,” Oyefusi said.
