The Browns may be headed toward one of the strangest roster decisions of the summer: keeping four quarterbacks on the initial 53-man roster.
That’s not the kind of move teams make lightly anymore. In today’s NFL, carrying four passers usually points to another transaction coming soon after - a trade, an injured reserve move, something to clear the logjam. But Cleveland’s quarterback room is unusual enough that the idea is at least on the table.
Deshaun Watson is part of the equation because of the contract situation that has him locked onto this year’s roster. Behind him, the Browns have three young quarterbacks drafted over the past 15 months, and that’s where the real squeeze starts.
The most common assumption has been straightforward: either waive sixth-round rookie Taylen Green and try to bring him back on the practice squad, or deal 2025 third-round pick Dillon Gabriel. But Browns GM Andrew Berry made it clear that keeping all four remains possible.
“I am,” Berry said to that exact question. “I think you’ve heard me say it’s the most valuable position, and look, they’ve got to earn it.
It’s not a situation where guys are on scholarship in terms of a roster spot. So, we’ll see.
I don’t think you can be prescriptive at the beginning of camp, because things are going to surprise you in both directions. Injuries are going to pop up, opportunities that you don’t foresee on July 31 may show up on August 31.
So, we try to maintain as much flexibility as possible.”
Gabriel is the name to watch here. He’s the clearest wild card in Cleveland’s quarterback room, and his standing could end up shaping the Browns’ 2026 roster math. A team like the Atlanta Falcons, with Kevin Stefanski as head coach and an uncertain depth chart of their own, has been mentioned as a logical trade partner.
For now, though, the Browns’ quarterback battle is still unresolved, and that matters. Watson and Sanders are battling for the Week 1 starting job, and that competition could run right down to the wire this summer. As things stand, Gabriel is No. 3 on the depth chart.
According to Browns reporter Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN, Gabriel has been stacking solid practices since training camp opened on July 29. He was clearly behind Sanders in the spring, which helped fuel the trade chatter, but he reportedly picked up momentum during mandatory minicamp in June. That has left Green as a distant fourth in practice reps.
If Cleveland is going to move from three quarterbacks to four by Week 1, waiving Green looks like the least likely path. The Browns used the first pick of the sixth round on him knowing he might need a year or two to develop into a potential elite two-way threat in the NFL.
That leaves Gabriel as the more realistic trade candidate, and if he keeps performing well in camp, the speculation should only grow. Berry’s answer centered on “flexibility,” and adding an extra quarterback would obviously make the roster less flexible.
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