The Browns have managed to keep all four quarterbacks on the initial 53-man roster, but that arrangement already feels temporary.
Dillon Gabriel’s strong preseason finish against the New England Patriots helped set up the move that made it possible: Cleveland placed him on injured reserve, which will keep him out for at least the first four games of the 2026 season. Gabriel’s back injury is real, and the team can’t stash a healthy player on IR without dragging the NFLPA into the picture. At the same time, it isn’t viewed as a serious or long-term issue, so the expectation is that he could be ready to come off IR after Week 4.
That timing puts the Browns in a tricky spot almost immediately. Deshaun Watson is the starter, and Cleveland opens the year with back-to-back games in Florida against the Jacksonville Jaguars and Tampa Bay Buccaneers before coming home in Week 3 to face the Carolina Panthers.
If Watson comes out flat and the Browns are staring at an 0-2 start, Todd Monken’s staff may have to think about a fast trigger at quarterback. Watson is healthy again, but the production hasn’t been there for years.
If he opens slowly, there’s no obvious reason to assume a turnaround is coming.
The problem is that Cleveland also can’t simply move on from Watson. Cutting him would create a dead-cap hit that would wreck next offseason, and the Browns can’t place him on injured reserve unless he actually gets hurt. That’s not impossible given his history - a rare shoulder break and a twice-ruptured Achilles tendon - but it’s not something the team can plan around.
Behind Watson, Shedeur Sanders and Taylen Green are splitting important backup work with the scout team. Sanders is the backup and should be ready early in the season. Green brings a different kind of intrigue; at 6-foot-6, his athleticism gives Cleveland a possible option in special situations if the Browns choose to activate him.
The clock on Gabriel still matters, though. If he’s healthy after Cleveland hosts the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday Night Football in Week 4, he’ll have to be activated.
That raises another question: would general manager Andrew Berry try to line up a trade first? It’s possible, especially given his fondness for preseason quarterback deals.
Even so, the Browns may want Sanders available, and Green may be too interesting to give up.
So while Cleveland has solved its four-quarterback puzzle for the moment, the issue is far from settled. It could be back on the table again before the month is out.
In Other News...
Myles Garrett Trade Drama Just Took Another Turn Rams Fans Will Notice
The Browns already spent the summer trying to move past one of the biggest shocks of the offseason, but the Myles Garrett trade is still hanging over the organization in ways that go beyond the roster. Cleveland sent Garrett to the Rams on June 1, 2026, landing Jared Verse and multiple future draft picks in return, and the deal has continued to color how fans view everything the front office does.
At a press conference before the 2026 season opener, Browns executive Catherine Hickman gave supporters another reason to roll their eyes when she showed up in a sweatshirt nodding to the trade. Her evasive answers on quarterback rumors only added to the frustration, leaving the impression that a fan base already uneasy about the future has little patience for the messaging coming out of the building. [Read more 🡒]
Browns May Have Cut A Preseason Standout Too Soon
The Browns trimmed down to their final 53-man roster on Sept. 1, and one of the more notable names to come off the list was wide receiver Luke Floriea. After a productive preseason, Floriea quickly drew outside attention, landing a workout invitation from the Seattle Seahawks as teams around the league continue sorting out their receiver depth.
Seattles timing is worth watching after recently losing Cody White, leaving the door open for another body in the room or a practice squad addition. For Cleveland, it is another reminder that preseason flashes can travel fast once roster cutdowns arrive, and Florieas next step may say as much about the Browns evaluation as it does about his own case for sticking in the league. [Read more 🡒]
Browns Just Sparked A Roster Debate Fans Wont Let Go
The Browns filled out their initial 16-player practice squad after waiver day, and the first look brought a few familiar names back into the fold. Several players who had been viewed as useful depth pieces, or at least easy to root for during camp, cleared waivers and stuck around in Cleveland, giving the team some continuity as it sorts through the bottom of the roster.
But the moves also left out a handful of players many fans expected to see kept close, including Luke Floriea, Gage Larvadain, Ahmani Marshall, Chris Edmonds and Kingsley Eguakun. For a roster that is still being shaped, those omissions are the kind that linger, because they hint at how the Browns are weighing upside, familiarity and immediate depth while leaving a few camp storylines unresolved. [Read more 🡒]