Browns' Dillon Gabriel Changes to No. 8 Jersey After Kenny Pickett Trade

Cleveland Browns quarterback Dillon Gabriel is going back to one of his college numbers after the team traded away Kenny Pickett.

The Browns announced Gabriel will wear No. 8 to start the 2025 NFL season.

Pickett had claimed that jersey before Cleveland selected Gabriel in the third round of the 2025 NFL draft. It reentered circulation once the Browns dealt him to the Las Vegas Raiders.

Gabriel wore No. 8 during his two years at Oklahoma and lone season with Oregon, so it's little surprise he ditched No. 5, which he donned during the preseason.

The southpaw heads into Week 1 as the backup behind Joe Flacco. He outperformed fellow rookie Shedeur Sanders in the eyes of the coaching staff, and Pickett's departure brought even more clarity to the QB room.

"It's such an all-encompassing evaluation. Everything the guys did in the games was important," head coach Kevin Stefanski told reporters. "We also saw a lot of them out here in practice and how they are at their craft. [Gabriel's] certainly somebody that we think is getting better and better."

As much promise as Stefanski sees in Gabriel, he's probably hoping the first-year signal-caller isn't pressed into duty Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals.