Dillon Gabriel made the most of his final preseason shot Thursday night, and he did it with the kind of efficiency the Browns have been searching for from their quarterbacks.
In Cleveland’s 37-13 win over New England, Gabriel started and delivered the cleanest performance of the Browns’ three top passers. He finished 12 of 15 for 186 yards and three touchdowns, helping the Browns race to a 27-13 halftime lead. He did not take a snap in the second half, and neither did Deshaun Watson or Shedeur Sanders.
The timing matters because Cleveland has already said Watson will open the 2026 season as the starter. Still, Gabriel’s night stood out in a room where the other two quarterbacks have been more uneven this preseason.
Watson opened the first two games by completing 16 of 27 passes, good for 59.3%, with 162 yards, no touchdowns and one interception. Sanders, the presumed second-string quarterback, went 15 of 22 for 153 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions over those same games.
Gabriel’s preseason had been quieter before Thursday. He went 5 of 8 for 23 yards and threw an interception in Cleveland’s 34-10 loss to Chicago, then attempted only one pass in last week’s 31-7 loss to Buffalo. But against New England, he finally looked like the player the Browns drafted in the third round in 2025, one round ahead of Sanders, who went to Cleveland in the fifth round out of Colorado.
Gabriel’s college résumé is part of what makes the conversation interesting. He led Oregon to a 13-1 record and a No. 1 ranking in 2024 before the Ducks lost to Ohio State in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals.
With Watson’s injury history still hanging over the position - a ruptured Achilles kept him out all of last season, and he appeared in just 19 games over the previous three seasons - and Sanders still searching for consistency, Gabriel’s showing at least gives Cleveland another reason to think about what comes next.
Elsewhere Thursday, Las Vegas Raiders rookie wide receiver Malik Benson was held without a catch in the Raiders’ 18-12 home loss to the San Francisco 49ers. The sixth-round pick out of Oregon also returned two punts, and both went for no gain.
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Dan Lanning Just Earned A Powerful Endorsement Oregon Fans Will Love
As Matayo Uiagalelei gets ready for his senior season in Eugene, the attention around Oregons defensive front keeps building. The Ducks are counting on one of their most talented edge players to chase big goals this fall, including a run at the programs career sack record and a stronger case for the NFL draft, while his family continues to have a close view of the program from the inside.
Dave Uiagalelei, who is also the father of Chargers backup quarterback DJ Uiagalelei, recently spoke highly of Dan Lannings leadership and character in an interview. For Oregon fans, praise like that carries weight, especially when it comes from a family that has seen both the college and pro sides of the game up close, and it adds another layer to the belief that Lannings program has become a place players and parents can trust. [Read more 🡒]
Boise State May Have One Edge Oregon Wont Enjoy Facing
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Head coach Spencer Danielson has already singled out the way that duo has looked in fall camp and scrimmages, and Boise State did not stop there. The Broncos also bolstered the position with transfers Juelz Goff and Harry Stewart III, giving them more depth and more ways to lean on the run game if they want to make the first big test of the season a physical one. [Read more 🡒]
Oregon Just Made Its USC Recruiting Battle Even More Interesting
The recruiting board for Oregons 2025 defensive back class just got a little more intriguing with Caron Williams trimming his list to 12 schools, and the Ducks remain firmly in the mix. The highly ranked California cornerback has long been viewed as one of the more important secondary targets on the West Coast, and Oregons appeal is obvious here: a chance to land a versatile defender who could fit into multiple spots in the back end.
USC has emerged as the Ducks closest competition in this race, setting up another familiar battleground between two programs that often chase the same top regional talent. For Oregon, the appeal goes beyond simply adding a cornerback. Williams ability to line up in different roles would give the Ducks more flexibility in how they build their defense, which is exactly why this recruitment feels like one worth watching as it moves forward. [Read more 🡒]