Former Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski has believed in Dillon Gabriel from the start, which could provide the franchise with an off-ramp for the third-round quarterback heading into his second NFL season.
Stefanski is now running the show with the Atlanta Falcons, where Michael Penix Jr. is entering a critical third campaign and Kirk Cousins, whom Stefanski coached with the Minnesota Vikings, is among the highest-paid backups in the league. The Cousins-Stefanski connection could be strong enough that the QB remains in Atlanta, though releasing Cousins is the more prudent financial move.
If logic wins out over emotion and Cousins hits the free-agent market, Atlanta will need to fill out the depth chart behind Penix. Thus, a potential trade market for Gabriel who looked for much of the year like a game manager with a reasonable NFL future as a career backup.
“With Kevin Stefanski taking the Falcons job, does that mean the Browns might now have an actual trade partner for Dillon Gabriel?” TheDawgsPodcast posted to its Instagram account on Sunday, January 18.
Dillon Gabriel Has Day 3 Trade Value After Moderate Rookie Season
GettyCleveland Browns quarterback Dillon Gabriel.
Cleveland selected Gabriel late in the third round, just as Day 2 of the 2025 draft wound down.
He played fairly well during his rookie campaign, passing for 937 yards, seven TDs and two INTs at a completion rate of 59.5 percent. Gabriel also rushed the football for 86 yards across 10 appearances. He posted a record of 1-5 as the starter after taking over for Joe Flacco a month into the season.
Gabriel probably wouldn’t bring back a return higher than a fourth- or fifth-round pick in trade, but that could be worth it to Cleveland if he doesn’t have a starting future there under the next head coach, whoever that ends up being.
Former Miami Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel withdrew his name from consideration for the Browns’ vacancy on Tuesday. If the team goes with someone who has an offensive background, it’s liable to be a young offensive coordinator who will certainly want to put his own stamp on the quarterback room.
Shedeur Sanders Will Probably Get Shot to Win Browns’ Starting Job in 2026, Dillon Gabriel May Not
GettyCleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders.
Shedeur Sanders was popular enough within the fanbase and dynamic enough in flashes on the field after taking over for Gabriel that he will probably get a chance to fight for the QB1/QB2 positions in training camp next year.
That is less of a certainty with Gabriel, so moving him for a draft pick makes sense if it’s possible. And it seems more possible now that his biggest believer is going to carry a lot of influence in a Falcons organization that may be looking for a capable and inexpensive backup signal-caller in the coming months.
The Browns currently hold the rights to 10 picks in April after putting together arguably the best draft class in the league last year — and the more bites at the apple for general manager Andrew Berry, the better.
Dillon Gabriel Trade Partner Emerges After Stefanski Exits Browns