At this point, is there anything that would surprise a Cleveland Browns fan when it comes to what the team might do at the quarterback position? Surely not. This is a team, after all, that is installing one of the most hated athletes in the city’s recent history, Deshaun Watson, as the starting quarterback despite two Achilles tendon surgeries, a 9-10 record in four years with the franchise and an ugly and combative press conference in which he picked a fight with the fan base (though he did later apologize, to be fair). So if a national NFL media outlet comes up with a wacky potential trade that sends out Dillon Gabriel and brings back a guy who rivals Watson in on an all-time waste-of-money scale–Tua Tagovailoa–who are we to say it’s crazy?
That is the latest from Bleacher Report, which routinely manufactures entertaining, if sometimes not realistic, trades that would have a high impact around the league. Now, anything involving Browns quarterbacks is not likely to have much of any impact, but it’s a proposal worth considering.
Dillon Gabriel for Tua Tagovailoa? Really?
Here’s how the folks at B/R see a Browns trade with old friend and Falcons coach Kevin Stefanski, one of the few Dillon Gabriel truthers around the NFL. The deal would go:
“Falcons Get: QB Dillon Gabriel
“Browns Get: Conditional 2027 7th-Round Pick, QB Tua Tagovailoa”
Tagovailoa, it should be pointed out, was run out of Miami after having been given a contract worth $212 million over four years in 2024. After two seasons struggling with injuries and ineffectiveness, the Dolphins cut him despite a record-setting $99 million in dead cap money. He would fit nicely with Watson, another dubious financial record-setter, having gotten the highest contract guarantee at $233 million in 2022.
Browns Hand Dillon Gabriel to Falcons
The absurdity of having Watson and Tagovailoa on the Browns roster at the same time (too bad Russell Wilson retired) would be one thing, but there must be some logic to the deal. Right? Well, if the Falcons go with Michael Penix as the QB1 and bump Tagovailoa, Stefanski may want Gabriel back.
Here’s what writer Kristopher Knox put forth: “Tagovailoa and Penix are most likely the only quarterbacks that the new regime views as potential long-term options. If they fail to impress … the Falcons could look to add another potential bridge quarterback by trading for Cleveland Browns third-stringer Dillon Gabriel. The Oregon product started six games as a rookie in 2025, had a strong preseason finale last month, and has experience in Kevin Stefanski’s offense.”
Browns Have No Need for Tua Tagovailoa
Lost in that is what the motivation for the Browns would be to bring Tagovailoa to Cleveland. The Browns have given fans a six-month odyssey of a quarterback battle between Watson and Shedeur Sanders, and came out with Watson as the winner. They did not dump Gabriel, last year’s third-round pick, instead moving him to the injured list with a back problem. He will be out for four weeks.
The Browns also want to begin getting serious about developing Taylen Green to see what he might be able to contribute. Adding another veteran like Tagovailoa would be a bizarre choice.
Certainly, there is logic to trading Gabriel, and sending him to Atlanta for a Stefanski reunion is something that has been speculated upon since Stefanski got that job in January. But the Browns would probably be willing to trade Gabriel for the seventh-rounder straight up, and the Falcons can do what they wish with Tagovailoa.
Browns Get ‘Bold’ Tua Tagovailoa Trade Prediction Before Week 1