Browns Choose QB Dillon Gabriel Over Shedeur Sanders To Be Joe Flacco’s Backup

Dillon Gabriel’s performance in the final two preseason games appeared to be enough for the Cleveland Browns to go with three quarterbacks instead of four. 

Head coach Kevin Stefanski selected the rookie third-round pick as Joe Flacco’s backup on Tuesday after the initial 53-man roster was set.

Gabriel looked set as the second quarterback after Cleveland dealt Kenny Pickett to the Las Vegas Raiders for a fifth-round pick in the 2026 draft Monday night.

“We feel comfortable with Dillon serving that role,” Stefanski said. “Kenny’s a guy I think very highly of and so do I wish him well. He’s a really good football player, but those are the type of decisions that you have to make.”

Gabriel directed the Browns to either a touchdown or field goal on five of his seven drives. He also directed a pair of two-minute, first-half drives against the Philadelphia Eagles and Los Angeles Rams.

In his two preseason outings, Gabriel completed 25 of 37 passes for 272 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Stefanski added though that assessing Gabriel went beyond the games.

“It’s such an all-encompassing evaluation,” Stefanski said. “Everything the guys did in the games was important. We also saw a lot of them out here in practice and how they are at their craft. He’s certainly somebody that we think is getting better and better.”

Pickett did not play in any of the preseason games and was limited since suffering a hamstring injury on July 26.

Fifth-round pick Shedeur Sanders will be third string and the scout team QB.

If the Browns wanted to bring in another experienced quarterback, they could do so via the practice squad. One option would be Tyler Huntley, who was released on Sunday but was the only QB to appear in all three preseason games.

Deshaun Watson is making steady progress after his Achilles tendon injuries, but was placed on the physically unable to perform list.

Reporting by The Associated Press.

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