As the NFL preseason progresses, positional battles become one of the most-watched parts of the process. The Cleveland Browns are no exception. Rookies and underrated free agents hope to unseat established veterans. Somewhere along the way, more than one established player will lose their starting job.
After changing coaches in the offseason and remaking a significant piece of their roster, the franchise still needs to answer the major questions before the regular season starts. One NFL insider believes the team can get a head start in ending a position battle.
Adam Schefter Believes the Cleveland Browns Need to Trade Dillon Gabriel
Normally, position battles involve two players competing for one starting spot. Schefter, appearing on ESPN’s “Get Up,” discussed why trading Gabriel makes the most sense.
“It’s interesting to me that they used a higher draft pick on Dillon Gabriel, and he’s not even mentioned as a candidate for the starting job,” Schefter said. “It’s down to Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders, according to Todd Monken.”
Monken, in his first season as the Browns’ head coach, discussed Sanders and Watson more than Gabriel. On top of that, Cleveland drafted quarterback Taylen Green out of the University of Arkansas. While nowhere near as polished, Green presents an athletic palette that Gabriel doesn’t, which potentially makes him expendable.
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“So, Dillon Gabriel’s not even in the picture,” Schefter added. “If he’s not in the picture, then wouldn’t it make sense to move off him, try to get something back, and make the quarterback room less crowded?”
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The shift in the Browns’ apparent thinking is quite a change from last summer, when Gabriel appeared to earn the praise of then-head coach Kevin Stefanski.
Last season, during his rookie campaign, Gabriel appeared in 10 games, starting 6, and went 1-5. He completed just 59.5% of his passes for 937 yards with 7 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. While Gabriel threw only 2 interceptions, another number could also explain why he may need to leave Ohio. With an average of just 5.1 yards per attempt, Gabriel profiles as a short-passing-game quarterback only.
According to PFN’s QB Impact Metric, Gabriel posted an impact score of 64.0 last season, ranking third-worst in the league.
When he was the offensive coordinator with the Baltimore Ravens, Monken loved to establish the run but used it to throw the ball vertically. With Gabriel, teams may not fear the vertical passing game and stack the box. On the other hand, both Watson and Sanders can throw the ball downfield.
The Browns probably won’t be able to secure prime draft capital by trading away Gabriel. However, as Schefter mentioned, his departure would free up space in the quarterback room.
