Browns' Dillon Gabriel Reportedly Was Subject of Trade Offers During NFL Draft Weekend

The Cleveland Browns received trade inquiries in Dillon Gabriel after taking the quarterback in the third round of the 2025 NFL draft, according to The MMQB's Albert Breer.

The NFL insider suggested that detail "essentially confirms the interested teams were prepared to take him in the fourth round."

"I've heard Gabriel crushed his meetings with teams, and many saw his floor, as a result, as a long-term backup," Breer wrote.

Gabriel boasts plenty of experience after spending six years in college, and the fact he thrived at three different stops speaks to his adaptability.

Calling a player a "long-term backup" is damning with faint praise to some degree. Then you look at the general quarterback landscape and realize how many teams would love to have a capable understudy they'd trust to put on the field in a pinch.

If the Browns found that with Gabriel, then he will have been worth a third-rounder.

A hamstring injury kept the southpaw out of Cleveland's preseason opener, a 30-10 win over the Carolina Panthers, but he was getting some first-team reps in training camp. By all accounts, he was at worst third in the Browns' quarterback room behind Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett.

The front office and coaching staff clearly see something in the 24-year-old to have resisted the trade overtures in the spring. Soon, they might discover whether that confidence is justified.

Gabriel is getting back to practice this week, so he may be in line for a high-usage role on Saturday's clash with the Philadelphia Eagles.