The Cleveland Browns entered the offseason with a major need at quarterback, again.
They addressed it by trading for Kenny Pickett and signing Joe Flacco before drafting Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders.
The Browns shocked the NFL world when they took Gabriel as early as the third round, as he was projected to be taken much later, and some teams reportedly didn’t even have him on their big boards.
The Browns fell in love with Gabriel from the very beginning of the pre-draft process.
Nevertheless, that doesn’t mean he’s going to be thrown into the fire as a rookie.
According to insider Mary Kay Cabot, Gabriel’s chances of starting this season are quite slim, as the Browns have no incentive to start him over two veterans, especially with him being a third-round selection:
“I don’t think the chances are great because he’s a third round pick, he’s a rookie, he’s got things to learn. Why would you start a rookie ahead of two very, very experienced veterans, you’d have to have a really darn good reason to do that,” Cabot said.
That makes some sense, and Gabriel was always projected to be a backup at the NFL level.
His physical limitations and the fact that he’s left-handed don’t help his case.
Then again, it’s not like Pickett has been a stud or that Flacco will be a long-term answer in Cleveland.
Everything could change if the team doesn’t hit the ground running this season, and there’s still a chance that they choose to trade one of their veterans before the start of the season.
Gabriel would still have to beat Shedeur Sanders for reps, but the Browns did take him two full rounds earlier, so he should be ahead of him in the pecking order right now.
NEXT:
Browns Legend Fired Up About New Backfield