With the Cleveland Browns less than two weeks away from their season-opener, one of their quarterbacks is set to miss considerable time.
In their final preseason game several days ago, the Browns beat the New England Patriots 37-13. Backup quarterbacks Dillon Gabriel and Taylen Green got time in the game, with Gabriel getting the majority of it.
Gabriel completed 12 of 15 passes for 186 yards and three touchdowns with a passer rating of 157.9. However, he also suffered a back injury in that final preseason game, continued to experience pain afterward, and underwent an MRI to determine the severity.
According to ESPN’s NFL insider, Adam Schefter, it was enough to land Gabriel on the injured reserve list. With that, the Browns have three quarterbacks on their initial 53-man roster ahead of the season: Deshaun Watson, Shedeur Sanders, and Taylen Green.
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In their first several preseason games, the team played Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders as they battled for the starting quarterback competition. Watson won the job over Sanders, and then neither played in the team’s final preseason game against the Patriots.
The news of Gabriel’s injury is certainly raising eyebrows, especially given some of the recent trade speculation about him. Some suspicious fans online are already questioning the injury and suggesting this is a move by the Browns to preserve his health for a potential trade later on.
He was the team’s starter for six games last season, but went 1-5. Gabriel threw for 937 yards and seven touchdowns with two interceptions. In Week 11, he left the game with concussion symptoms and later was ruled out.
With that, Gabriel was kept out, and the Browns started their other rookie quarterback, Sanders, who they felt played well enough for the remainder of the season. Now Sanders is seemingly in line to get a start if Watson really struggles this season.
It won’t be surprising if Cleveland moves Gabriel at some point, especially after the recent injury news and seeming to have their starter and two main backups established.
The Browns open their regular season with a road game against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday, Sept. 13.
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