The Cleveland Browns had four quarterback options going into the 2026 NFL season. And with the resources they spent on each, the team did not want to part ways with any of them before the year began.
Keeping Deshaun Watson, Shedeur Sanders, and Taylen Green on the roster, the Browns found a way to retain last year’s third-round pick, Dillon Gabriel, without using one of their 53 active roster spots on him. After Gabriel was placed on injured reserve seemingly out of nowhere, fans quickly began questioning whether the move was more about roster management than his injury.
Dillon Gabriel Is the 4th QB on the Browns Roster
Throughout the offseason, new head coach Todd Monken oversaw a legitimate competition between Watson and Sanders for the starting quarterback job. That left Gabriel and this year’s rookie, Green, competing for a roster spot.
Eventually, Watson earned the starting nod, while Sanders slotted in as QB2. However, Green showed enough upside, particularly as a threat on the ground, to earn a spot on the roster as well.
Gabriel, though, did not get that luxury. Despite 186 passing yards and three touchdowns in the final game of the preseason, the residue from the 2025 season, where he ranked as the third-worst player in PFN’s QB Impact Metrics, was too much for the Browns to overlook.
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“Browns placed QB Dillon Gabriel on injured reserve, designated for return, due to a back injury,” Adam Schefter revealed on XÂ before expanding on the nature of the injury in a subsequent post.
Browns QB Dillon Gabriel initially hurt his back during the preseason finale, had pain yesterday and underwent an MRI. The injury was notable enough to land him on injured reserve. https://t.co/LuIEFT1Iuk pic.twitter.com/IZ2NS9AxbL
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 30, 2026
“Browns QB Dillon Gabriel initially hurt his back during the preseason finale, had pain yesterday, and underwent an MRI. The injury was notable enough to land him on injured reserve,” Schefter claimed. The news immediately sparked skepticism among some Browns fans.
“Roster manipulation,” one fan exclaimed, while Ben Volin of the Boston Globe joked, “The Cleveland equivalent of the Foxborough Flu.” However, a few people believed the injury excuse came from the second-year quarterback rather than the organization.
The Cleveland equivalent of the Foxborough Flu https://t.co/3U14xppGvM
— Ben Volin (@BenVolin) August 30, 2026
As one fan joked, “Nah, he heard he was getting cut,” most still believed that the Browns were trying to have their cake and eat it too. Jake Liscow called it out, claiming, “The most phantom IR of all time, they’re saying.”
the most phantom ir of all time, they’re saying https://t.co/YN1sRXSlnH
— Jake Liscow (@JakeLiscow) August 30, 2026
For one fan, the timing was far too coincidental to ignore, as they pointed out, “Seems awfully convenient lol. Respect the roster management, though.” For some, though, this move from the Browns was exposing a major problem that they had with the NFL as a whole.
Seems awfully convenient lol. Respect the roster management though https://t.co/48ss4liZ68
— The Philly Special (@thePHIspecial) August 30, 2026
“It’s these types of moves that make me question how often IR is used to stash players vs being true season-ending injuries,” another fan added.
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For much of the summer, the growing consensus has been that the Browns could punt on the 2026 season and focus on finding a potential franchise centerpiece in next year’s draft. If that happens, all four quarterbacks could eventually become expendable unless one establishes himself as a legitimate long-term option or valuable backup.
For now, the Browns have kept all four quarterbacks in the fold, with Gabriel starting the season on injured reserve. Whether by necessity or design, Cleveland avoided cutting its former third-round pick.
