Dillon Gabriel Never Felt 'Disrespected' by Shedeur, Watson Being Focus of Browns QB1 Competition

Second-year quarterback Dillon Gabriel told reporters on Wednesday that he doesn't feel disrespected that the Cleveland Browns have focused their quarterback battle on Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders.

The majority of the reps at training camp have been going to Watson and Sanders, with Gabriel clearly third in the pecking order:

New head coach Todd Monken indicated that the plan is for Watson and Sanders to each start one preseason game:

Gabriel was certainly given a shot during his rookie season, starting six games and making 10 total appearances. While it would be unfair to say that the 2025 third-round pick completely squandered the chance, given the limited sample size, he finished the season with just 937 passing yards, seven touchdowns and two interceptions while completing only 59.5 percent of his passes.

Worse, the Browns were just 1-5 in his starts. For all of Sanders' many struggles during his shot at the starting gig (10 interceptions, 23 sacks taken) he seemed to provide a different spark to the offense than Gabriel, with the Browns going 3-4 in his starts.

And with Watson returning from his injury issues and the Browns stuck with him for one more season given his fully-guaranteed contract, he was always going to be given a shot at the starting gig this summer. Thus far, he's seemingly looked good.

Granted, this season's quarterback competition is probably a moot point when it comes to the long-term status of the position. Watson won't be under contract next season and the Browns have a pair of first-round picks in next year's draft, putting them in excellent position to select a quarterback of the future.

So unless Sanders wins the job and impresses immensely, the future franchise quarterback for the Browns is still in college. Any chance Gabriel may have had at throwing his name back into that ring has probably been extinguished.