From Newsweek · Matthew Couden · · 1m 30s
The Browns quarterback math still doesn't add up
Dillon Gabriel's back injury paused a roster crunch in Cleveland, and GM Andrew Berry says the reckoning is only delayed.
In brief
Dillon Gabriel's back injury paused a roster crunch in Cleveland, and GM Andrew Berry says the reckoning is only delayed. Gabriel's IR stint bought the Browns time on a four-quarterback problem they still have to solve, and his 1-5 record as a starter means his spot is far from safe. Originally reported by Newsweek.
A decision they postponed
Cleveland settled its starter in the offseason, but the quarterback room never really got sorted. Dillon Gabriel is the loose thread.
Good preseason, bad back
Gabriel impressed in the Browns' final preseason game, then hurt his back. He went to injured reserve instead of taking a roster spot.
Four deep at one position
Cleveland already had Deshaun Watson, Shedeur Sanders and sixth-round pick Taylen Green. Berry said the plan was to carry all four quarterbacks.
“were expecting to carry four”
Berry keeps it open
The GM would not commit to what happens when Gabriel is healthy. He tied it to how players perform over the course of the season.
“So we'll make that decision when that time comes”
Why a young QB is worth a spot
Berry called quarterback the most important position in sports, and said a developmental spot spent on one beats spending it anywhere else.
“If you have a promising young quarterback or a quarterback you want to find out about, you know that's higher leverage”
The trade talk that stalled
Jacksonville, Indianapolis and Atlanta had all been floated as landing spots before the injury. Gabriel went 1-5 in six starts last year and lost the job to Sanders after a concussion.
The bottom line
Gabriel's IR stint bought the Browns time on a four-quarterback problem they still have to solve, and his 1-5 record as a starter means his spot is far from safe.
