Dillon Gabriel, Shedeuer Sanders Roster Prediction from Cleveland Browns Insider

The Cleveland Browns continue to be at the center of the spotlight this offseason thanks to an ongoing quarterback battle that has captured the attention of the NFL and Oregon Ducks fans.

While the rest of the AFC North knows who the starter will be in Week 1 (barring injury), Cleveland remains in the middle of a four-man race that features former Oregon Ducks quarterback Dillon Gabriel and fellow rookie Shedeur Sanders along with Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett.

Though only one can start in the season opener, it's possible all four players will have a role and see action at some point during the 2025 campaign. Cleveland's quarterback history doesn't leave much room for optimism about having one guy take over and keep the job. Flacco was the brief exception to that in 2023 with the Browns, but to do so again at age 40 will be difficult.

May 10, 2025; Berea, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns quarterback Dillon Gabriel (5) talks to the media during rookie minicamp at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images / Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

Even if Gabriel and Sanders end up receiving little playing time as rookies while sitting behind Pickett and Flacco, it doesn't appear that will impact their longterm standing with the Browns.

During a recent appearance on 92.3 The Fan, Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com said that she expects both Sanders and Gabriel to make the 53-man roster despite some recent speculation that changes could be made to the personnel in the crowded quarterback room.

"It is the most important position on the team, and you might not know this year if Shedeur and Dillon are going to be something down the road," Cabot said. "So those guys aren't going anywhere. They're keeping Dillon and Shedeur. Those guys are going to make the football team. So you can pretty much take that to the bank, and then it's just a matter of trying to figure out what you would want to do with Joe and Kenny, and I think both of them will play this year."

Gabriel has spoken highly of the Browns quarterback room this offseason and hasn't been afraid to try and learn from the experience of Flacco and Pickett

Cleveland Browns quarterback Dillon Gabriel (5) walks off the field after NFL rookie minicamp at the Cleveland Browns training facility on Friday, May 9, 2025, in Berea, Ohio. / Jeff Lange / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

"I think just a diverse room," Gabriel said at mandatory minicamp. "Diversity and experience, and just appreciate those guys. Because I think what we've done as a room really well is the inability to dwell on the past. We're just extremely present. ... So I think there's a lot of juice in the squeeze, but you got to ask the right questions, and that's what I try to approach every single day."

Gabriel became a fan favorite in Eugene after leading the Ducks to a perfect 13-0 regular season record and Big Ten Championship. Ducks fans cheered on Gabriel as a 2024 Heisman Trophy finalist and Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year. The Hawaii-native also wore former Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota's No. 8 jersey and threw for a career-high 3,857 yards and 30 touchdowns for the Ducks in 2024 while also rushing for seven touchdowns.

Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix, a former Oregon quarterback, left, and Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel, right, take a picture with Oregon offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Will Stein during the Oregon football’s Pro Day Tuesday, March 18, 2025, at the Moshofsky Center in Eugene, Ore. / Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Though he's a rookie, Gabriel has continued to show off his veteran approach and mindset since being drafted. There's of course questions about his size, but Gabriel's intangibles along with ample starting experience at the college level gives Browns fans something to look forward to at the position in the future if Sanders doesn't end up working out for Clevleand. Arguments can be made for or against either player.

"I think just being able to adapt as quick as possible," Gabriel said. "I think that's a challenge for anyone. There's a time within that that you have to work through. But I think just I go back to being present and not being able to dwell on a regression or get too high with a progression and being just even-keeled throughout that. So I've been trying to just stay balanced in that way. But every single day, there's something to get better at."

The Browns rookies will report to training camp on July 18 before the veterans arrive on July 22. Cleveland will then begin the preseason on Aug. 8 at Bank of America Stadium against the Carolina Panthers.