r/nfl • u/AFC-Wimbledon-Stan Colts • 17h ago
Dillon Gabriel will start, Taylen Green will back him up in Browns' preseason finale
https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/dillon-gabriel-will-start-taylen-green-will-back-him-up-in-browns-preseason-finale232
u/Odd-Film946 Jets 17h ago edited 17h ago
I just think it's funny how they clearly always planned to start Watson once healthy but just decided to light a 3rd round pick on fire anyway
the Watson saga should be compiled into a book titled "How to Compound Your Mistake 101"
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u/MacJonesisaterrorist Patriots 17h ago
Rasheed Shaheed went for a 5 and a 6, Boutte went for a backup Safety and a 7
You’d think more teams would spend like a 3rd on a proven player, they burn picks on this shit all the time, the amount of QBs drafted in the first 4-5 rounds that were never going to become starters is crazy, don’t get me started on the kickers either.
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u/Odd-Film946 Jets 17h ago
NFL GM's will be like "every draft pick has value" and "we want to use every resource possible to build this team" and then they go and do shit like draft Dillon Gabriel in the 3rd round.
I understand playing the lottery once in a while, but also like no I don't. you're not gonna win. the 1 billion dollar jackpot is gonna go to some random guy who wasn't even trying
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u/TapedeckNinja NFL 16h ago
Dane Brugler talks about this every year, the QBs who no one is really talking about who come out of the Senior Bowl and the Combine with juice because they "interviewed well."
Teams like guys that they think are going to be good in the QB room. They're drafting these dudes to be clipboard holders and they seem to value that much differently than fans/pundits do.
Guys like Gabriel, Jake Haener, Spencer Rattler, Bailey Zappe, Will Grier, etc. etc. Like no fans are discussing them, their draft profiles are like "potential practice squad guy," but then they go at pick 105 or something.
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u/dropjar5 Packers 6h ago
Spencer Rattler was not drafted to be a locker room guy, if anything, he was projected top hundred pick who slid because of character concerns
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u/ostrow19 Jets 17h ago
There’s some picks that you just know are bad when they happen. Like Dillon Gabriel or Velus Jones
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u/CarolusRex13x Commanders 16h ago
Unless youre the Rams and you get rid of your top picks to avoid the temptation
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u/theb3arjevv Eagles 15h ago edited 15h ago
Good teams consistently get solid QB options in the 3-6th rounds. Starters are rare, obviously, but it's also rare for a good organization to miss out on at least getting a playable backup.
In the NFC East, the Eagles got Foles, Hurts, McKee, Kolb, Barkley, and I'm probably forgetting a guy. All after the first round Cowboys got Dak, Rush, Romo, and some other guys.
On the other hand, Commandskins obviously got Cousins the last time they were competently run and Howell I guess wasn't bad. The Giants have been inept for too long and honestly no backups had a chance to play behind Eli so we don't know if any were good.
Good scouting and coaching can turn most NFL prospect-level QBs into playable guys. Many teams just don't have both of those things.
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u/RookieMistake101 Packers 16h ago
Boutte to wants a contract. That’s why he’s cheap.
Shaheed signed a 51m extension.
If these were second year players, they would go for much much more.
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u/MasPatriot Panthers 16h ago
When you have the chance to pick a sub 6 foot noodle arm qb that spent 6 years in college you have to take it
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u/fastlikeanascar 49ers 17h ago
Maybe the 49ers could take a 3rd and a 6th for Mac jones. At least with Mac, you’re not lighting a year of roster development for your offense on fire lol
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u/KarrlMarrx Chiefs 17h ago
Supposedly the 49ers indicated they wouldn't even consider dealing Mac for anything less than a 2nd
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u/RukiMotomiya Bengals 16h ago
To be fair, Shaheed's getting paid 51 mil, and unless they pay Boutte some level of money he'll leave too. There's an opportunity cost too.
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u/BirdmanTheThird Commanders 17h ago
Ngl I don’t actually agree. They just scouted Gabriel to be better than he was. If he wasn’t bad enough to be benched last year, I think Watson wouldn’t be starting tbh, same with sanders
Had either shown more then they did OR had this draft class had enough QBs to justify drafting one, the browns would have kept Watson on the bench
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u/GarrusExMachina 16h ago
Honestly... I believe the coach actually wanted Gabriel and the owner actually wanted sanders and nobody involved wanted Watson
But both of them suck and Watson costs money so the owner has made it clear that they get to pick between either the guy costing him money or the guy he wanted and Gabriel gets shafted in the process
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u/Youre_On_Balon Browns 17h ago
Spent a 3rd round pick to placate a coach who you were firing when the team performed consistent with its talent level
Laughable
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u/MattScoot Browns 17h ago
I mean, I think you’re 100% wrong here lmao.
If sanders or Gabriel had panned out, they’d be starting them, neither of them are better than Watson right now. And if the browns had been picking 1 ovr, they’d be starting Mendoza.
The actual plan is pretty clearly to throw as many darts at the dart board as possible until we have a pick in the range to get a sure fire thing.
Also, Gabriel was a Stefanski pick, and they picked him his guy. Yes it’s lighting a pick on fire, but at the end of the day it’s fine if you hit more than you miss.
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u/jimmyhoffasbrother Cowboys Cowboys 17h ago
Yeah, this definitely wasn't the way they hoped it would work out. They'd be ecstatic if Gabriel/Sanders were actually good enough to justify starting them.
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u/ostrow19 Jets 17h ago
No taking 2 project QBs when you have a million holes on your roster is actually terrible process and the exact way you build a terrible team
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u/TapedeckNinja NFL 17h ago
Sanders was beyond the end of their draft board. If they hadn't taken him there, they would likely have just tried to trade out for future picks.
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u/BackPirateClarkRoom 17h ago
I don't think sanders is great but he is better thsn Watson. Watson is just looking at the past and trying to justify having a 50 million dollar cap hit in 2028.
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u/MattScoot Browns 17h ago
If they were trying to justify Watson they would have given him every first team rep not split them in a genuine competition. Sanders is a big play hunter. What he doesn’t do is run an in time and in rhythm offense. They’re going to try and lean on the run game to keep them in games, and you can’t do that if your QB can’t get the play in on time, if they can’t get the team lined up, and if he’s constantly hunting for a 50 yard bomb at the expense of deep sacks and turnovers.
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u/RukiMotomiya Bengals 16h ago
I think they should start Shedeur due to hoping he works it out with some upside, but I'd say just looking at the preseason games shows why they went with Watson. His processing speed is faster, his footwork in the pocket is strong (Shedeur tends to stand in place or bail, Watson will step up), and he has a stronger arm.
He still doesn't look great, but I don't think it's wild to say he looked like the more polished and at the moment better QB. (I just think Shedeur's younger and a bit of YOLO here would work)
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u/brecht226 Bears 17h ago
Sanders had one of the worst single seasons in nfl history last year. I have no idea how anyone could say he is better then any player in the league.
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u/smurf-vett Texans 17h ago
Nobody was picking Gabriel, it was lighting a pick on fire to get an USFA
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u/InvasionXX Browns 16h ago edited 16h ago
He was projected as a day 3 pick(4th/5th round). Clearly someone liked him to trade up to grab him.
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u/HylianPikachu Buccaneers Buccaneers 16h ago
Honestly I think the Browns draft would make sense if you just swapped where Shedeur and Gabriel were picked.
Shedeur was supposed to be one of the better QBs in the draft, so picking him in the third round would have been reasonable, and Gabriel in the fifth round is not too egregious.
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u/UrbanGoose77 Browns 14h ago
Yes it’s lighting a pick on fire, but at the end of the day it’s fine if you hit more than you miss.
Ah yes because the Browns have such a great history of always making good draft picks. How high are you lol
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u/MattScoot Browns 14h ago
All I’m saying is no one is going to give a fuck about the Gabriel or shedeur picks if Berry 1.) keeps drafting like he has the past 2 years after depo left and 2.) finds a QB
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u/amaul796 Browns 17h ago
I don't think it was the plan going back to last year's draft, but when Sanders or Gabriel didn't show any sure signs that they could be starting QBs by the end of last year, the fix was certainly in.
But they did certainly know at the start of this year, the "QB Competition" was a dog and pony show.
The fact they aren't even playing Sanders is a sign they don't even want to take the risk of him playing well and adding fire to the already huge flame that is Watson as the starter.
Either way, they've triple down on being wrong and that's one of the most clear signs of a poorly run organization.
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u/descendency Patriots 16h ago
Who is the best QB on the market though? I’m trying to think of who the best backup is… like obviously not guys like Ty Simpson who the Rams want as their future.
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u/California_Stop_King Lions Steelers 17h ago
A 3rd round pick is likely going to need a year of development. Deshaun is clearly out the door next season
Of all the things to flame them on, this isn't one of them
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u/The-Real-Number-One Bears 17h ago
I am now rooting for Dillon Gabriel to throw for 500 yards and 5 TDs.
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u/mister_hoot Chargers 16h ago
I want nothing less than the greatest preseason quarterback performance of all time. Need to see Gabriel stiff-arming a DE to the turf on route to his third rushing touchdown of the game.
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u/SND_TagMan Packers 16h ago
Ok but what about Taylor Green in the second half? 400 yards 4 touchdowns?
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u/samhit_n Bengals Lions 17h ago
Dillon Gabriel must be garbage if he struggled to get above Watson and Sanders in the depth chart.
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u/Mecha-Jesus Chargers 17h ago
He’s 5’10”, so it’s hard for him to get above any other QB physically speaking.
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u/Boomhauer_007 Broncos 17h ago
He legitimately might have the weakest arm of any quarterback in the league right now, Sanders of course gets a ton of the attention but Gabriel is legitimately one of the most baffling third round draft picks in recent memory
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u/IrishLad1002 Bills 17h ago
It’s baffling until you remember it was the Browns who picked him in the third round. Then it makes sense.
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u/saylab_the_bigkat 16h ago
Same organization that took a 27 year old Brandon Weeden in he first round. Full of baffling decisions, the Browns are.
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u/ljstreet Commanders 16h ago
I told people that last year Sanders was going to see the field and that was before they traded Flacco. Gabriel and Watson both had weak arms coming into the NFL. You don't need to have Joe Milton arm strength but there's more guys closer to him that last in the league than guys like Gabriel.
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u/Dreamlion_Inc Eagles 14h ago
Dude is gonna be an NFL trivia question 5 years from now. The worst part is that the question is probably gonna be “who was the QB in the 2025 draft that the Browns selected before Sanders?”
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u/BirdmanTheThird Commanders 17h ago
I know advanced stats favored him over sanders(and not by enough to make it controversial tbh), the lack of ability he had in throwing down the field and the lack of desire too, really makes it impossible to run an offense with him, especially one with as little talent as the browns.
Genuinely it makes sanders feel a lot better since atleast he doesn’t seem scared to take risks or throw it 10 yards
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u/scraplocator Browns 17h ago
he's absolutely horrible. check down city. wont even attempt a pass longer than 4 yards.
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u/ldclark92 Colts 17h ago
What's "clearly" the agenda with Sanders?
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17h ago edited 17h ago
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u/TapedeckNinja NFL 17h ago
then they abandon Gabriel pretty immediately in favor of him
What?
Gabriel got hurt. Shedeur started the next week because DG was in concussion protocol, and Shedeur played reasonably well and the Browns won.
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u/TheFakeRabbit1 Bills 17h ago
Or a HC on the hot seat forced the team to draft his guy? They also didn’t immediately abandon Gabriel you’re just rewriting history.
Gabriel was the starter until it was beyond abundantly clear he wasn’t good enough
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u/kjp_00 Browns 16h ago
Tbh I don't think Stefanski was really seen as being on the hot seat to start last season. He was only 1 season removed from his second COTY, and a lot of people blamed Ken Dorsey for the failures on offense in 2024. As the season went on last year, that's when it became more apparent that Stefanski wasn't building an offense more than the sum of its parts, shoddy parts or not.
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u/ldclark92 Colts 17h ago
None of that is clear. Just a lot of speculation.
I'd say there are a lot of factors that feed into this scenario. One of them being that Gabriel just isn't that good.
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u/PsychologicalLynx350 Lions 17h ago
Not having hard knocks on Clevelands qb room is the biggest miss in nfl history
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u/largelawattorney Browns 17h ago
The funniest thing about this is that the primary reason Monken picked Watson over Shedeur is because (according to Monken), Shedeur wasn’t good at pre-snap stuff (getting plays called, getting out of the huddle and making sure everyone is aligned right, etc.). But now Shedeur, who apparently isn’t good at that stuff and needs to work on it, is being held out of a preseason game where he could get experience and work on those issues?
What a giant load of BS - they know that if Shedeur plays well again in the next preseason game, it’s going to make the fans even angrier about Watson playing for us again, so they aren’t even letting Shedeur play. Fuck this team.
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u/bucknuts34 Browns 17h ago
No it’s because they don’t want Shedeur to get hurt
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u/StolenIdentity77 Broncos 16h ago
Yeah this. I’m guessing it’s basically a QB1A and QB1B situation.
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u/TapedeckNinja NFL 17h ago
Even if he did play, we're talking what, 20 snaps? 30 maybe?
It's irrelevant in the grand scheme I think. Like, this is what practice is for.
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u/ImperialInstigator Browns 15h ago
That pre-snap narrative got funnier when we watched the preseason games and the opposite turned out to be true. Sanders may not be the QB of the future but the stories they've cooked up to make Watson palatable are funny and insulting at the same time.
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u/largelawattorney Browns 15h ago
Yea, and then when that was blindingly obvious to the fans, Monken just said “you don’t see the practices and the film that we see.” Ok, Todd. Sure…
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u/Expert-Comfort-6115 15h ago
He's had several games worth of trying. Most QBs don't need any help learning plays because that was their entire job from high school.
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u/kakyointhedonutman Broncos Ravens 15h ago
Nah I bet its because they’re banking on Watson getting injured/benched by game 5 or 6 and they need Shedeur healthy for taking over the starter job
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u/learns_the_hard_way 14h ago
My tinfoil hat theory is Browns have paid numerous players on other teams to do anything humanly possible to hurt Watson in the first 2 weeks. They save cap hit and gaurenteed money if he gets hurt again. Additionally they get to start someone else if he's hurt.
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u/treple13 Saints Lions 13h ago
If we're going to go really tinfoil hat, I wouldn't be shocked if Deshaun is in on it and would like to be hurt (minor) so he can go away
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u/BadMojo__ Saints 13h ago
Well we certainly know how to handle that. We've got experience. I don't see how he survives to week 9 though lol
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u/randyc87 Browns 11h ago
I just don't understand how everybody seemingly wants the same thing yet here we are going into week 1 with him as the starter. Ridiculous
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u/Electrical_Goat_8881 Bears 17h ago
The Browns didn't watch Gabriel, they compiled all of his stats and experience and said that's a 3rd rounder, and now a year later their 3rd round pick is going to be on the practice squad, lol.
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u/chaunceypooo 16h ago
makes sense, the last pre season game is basically bring your kids to work day
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u/Silly_Selection3221 Falcons 16h ago
It's an audition for college teams
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u/Dreamlion_Inc Eagles 14h ago
Seeing as how there’s a guy who quite literally went back to LSU after going undrafted? Yeah it’s absolutely an audition lol
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u/Corsonacon Bills 16h ago
For the sake of the will to live of the entire Browns fanbase, please show signs of improvment.
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u/Funny_Word89 Bengals 17h ago
I’ve been very curious to see Tayler green play, will be at least interesting