Going back to 1996, for obvious reasons we don’t need to rehash here, the Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Ravens have been careful not to seek each other out when to comes to engaging on trades for players. There have been a couple of instances of the teams swapping out draft picks, but when it comes to negotiating and exchanging players, that’s mostly been a bridge too far. But, hey, it’s been 30 years and maybe there’s something that can get done here. That’s because the Browns, even with Deshaun Watson n concussion protocol and Shedeur Sanders poised to start for the first time this year–presumably with Dillon Gabriel at QB2–still have an overloaded quarterback room and could stand to move one along.
With Lamar Jackson out, again, in Baltimore, dealing with a thumb injury that landed him on injured reserve, and backup Snoop Huntley out for the year with turf toe, it’s possible that the Browns have the answer for their most hated of rivals: a Gabriel trade.
Browns Cash in on Dillon Gabriel for a 5th-Round Pick
The Browns could not expect to get much for Gabriel if the team did move him at next week’s deadline and, indeed, they’re reportedly not looking to move any of their four quarterbacks. But if Watson comes back quickly from the concussion, and if the Ravens have interest, the Browns could ship out Gabriel to Baltimore.
That’s the notion from Heavy’s Max Dible, who foresees a swap in which the Browns come away wtih a fifth-round pick.
Writes Dible: “Dillon Gabriel, unlike Mac Jones, is not a play for the future. However, he is a smallish bet the team could make to try and remain competitive in the absence of Lamar Jackson, which will last for at least six weeks after his thumb injury on Sunday.
The Ravens are probably going to 4-5 after they play the Jaguars on ‘Thursday Night Football'”‘ this week, but bringing in a serviceable QB might allow the team enough of a chance to get through five/six games and a bye with a good enough record that it can still hope for a Jackson return and a chance at a late-season playoff run.
Much would depend on a trade like that, starting with the Browns getting Watson back and healthy. The Ravens would also need to determine that Gabriel can adequately run their offense. And there would have to be some old Ravens-Browns scores settled along the way.
Browns Trade Pitch Flips Dillon Gabriel to Hated Rival