Cleveland traded veteran quarterback to Cincinnati Tuesday for a fifth-round draft pick, meaning Pro Duck Dillon Gabriel is now the starter with fifth-round draft pick Shedeur Sanders as his backup.
At 1-4 the Browns are due for another early selection in the NFL draft, which means Gabriel has about six weeks to convince management he represents the future of the franchise before 1) Sanders gets inserted in the lineup and 2) the GM and scouting staff begins pouring all their energy into scouting a QB for the first round of the 2026 draft.
That might mean that Detroit, Michigan native Dante Moore becomes the new face of the franchise, if not Indiana's Fernando Mendoza or LaNorris Sellers of South Carolina.
At 1-4 the downtrodden darlings of the Dog Pound are tied with seven other teams for the second-worst record in the NFL behind the 0-5 Jets. Gabriel doesn't have to transport the team into a winner but he has to show promise and prove he can move the team.
His assets are accuracy, decision-making and processing speed while his limitations as a potential NFL starter included below-average height (measured at 5-11, 205 at the NFL combine) and lack of elite arm strength.
This week the team travels to Pittsburgh to take on the 3-1, division-leading Steelers, where head coach Mike Tomlin said of Gabriel, "I think timely processing is his superpower, and I think his experience and that superpower has been on display, and I think those are one of the central reasons why they went to him. He's able to function and function with fluidity in an effort to minimize negativity when passing."
While it's not uncommon for an opposing coach to say nice things about an opponent's rookie quarterback in the runup to a game, it's certain Tomlin and defensive coordinator Teryl Austin will try to make life miserable for him once the game starts.
The Steelers rank third in the league in turnovers with 7 and tied-fourth in sacks with 14 despite having played only four games.
As for Gabriel, he's auditioning for a job few expect him to keep. He has to hold off Sanders and play well enough to dissuade Browns' management from scouting his replacement. Along with that, they're counting on him or Sanders to help them keep their jobs.