Ever since the start of the offseason for the Cleveland Browns, which included minicamp and OTAs, head coach Todd Monken declared the quarterback competition to be a two-horse race between Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders.
Watson's inclusion made sense, as the Browns signed him to a five-year, $230 million fully guaranteed deal in 2022 that has been met with far subpar play and injuries, as Watson has only suited up for 19 games as a Brown. The franchise is trying to squeeze something, anything out of the former Pro-Bowler. Sanders, a fifth-round pick in 2025, started the final seven games of his rookie season, posting poor counting and advanced stats, but led Cleveland to a 3-4 record.
The two quarterbacks included in the race make sense. But
the exclusion of former Oregon Ducks quarterback Dillon Gabriel, a third-rounder in 2025, was a bit puzzling.
Sure, he'd gone just 1-5 as the starter as a rookie and struggled to push the ball down the field, but he kept the ball out of harms way, throwing seven touchdowns to two interceptions. Considering the draft capital that the Browns had invested in Gabriel, plus only middling quarterback play in a downright bad offensive atmosphere around him, there's a case to be made that the former Duck should've had at least some chance to earn the Browns' starting job.
Yet, he wasn't given any shot, taking reps with Cleveland's third-team all summer.
Gabriel made the Browns look silly on Thursday night, as he threw three touchdowns in the first half while completing 12-of-15 passes for 186 yards — mere days after Monken named Watson as the starter and Sanders as the backup.
The performance caught the eye of the entire league, with former NFL quarterback Robert Griffin III, the No. 2 pick in 2012, making his opinion known on how unfair the Browns' quarterback competition had been.
"Dillon Gabriel is making a mockery of the Cleveland Browns QB competition," Griffin stated on X. "3 TDs in the first half. The competition was never fair to him. It’s why I said this offseason he needs a fresh start with a team interested in developing him to see if he can be a starter in the NFL."
Dillon Gabriel is making a mockery of the Cleveland Browns QB competition.
— Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) August 28, 2026
3 TDs in the first half.
The competition was never fair to him.
It’s why I said this offseason he needs a fresh start with a team interested in developing him to see if he can be a starter in the NFL.
Griffin's perspective is one shared by many Ducks, Oklahoma Sooners and UCF Knights fans, as Gabriel excelled as the starter at each program, setting the then-record for total career touchdowns by a quarterback. He came into the NFL with underwhelming physical characteristics, but he was known for making smart decisions with the football and acting as a de-facto point guard, distributing the ball to his playmakers.
That very skillset was on full display against the New England Patriots in the first half on Thursday, Gabriel's first start and first extended run of the preseason. In the third preseason game, one would think that the former Ducks signal-caller showed out at a time when it was most needed — yet the Browns' quarterback competition had already ended, before he'd even been given an opportunity to make any sort of noise.
Having been demoted to QB3 on the depth chart, ahead of only rookie Taylen Green, Gabriel's showing against New England could essentially be drawn up as a job interview for the 31 other teams in the NFL.
It appears the Browns had, and will continue to with Watson as the starter and Sanders as the backup, given up on Gabriel. And piggybacking off of Griffin's opinion, it looks like a fresh start could be the best case scenario for Gabriel in his development as an NFL quarterback.
Cut day is August 30, serving as an important date to watch for if Gabriel is either released by the Browns or dealt to another team before then.
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This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: 'Competition was never fair' for Dillon Gabriel, former NFL QB says
