When Derek Carr went to the New Orleans Saints in 2023, punter Blake Gillikin had already been wearing the No. 4 jersey for two seasons. During his free agent meeting, after it seemed like the deal was all but confirmed, Carr had only one question for the front office: “What about 4?” He’d spent nine seasons wearing that number on his back, and he wasn’t going to let that identity go. The front office’s answer: “Don’t worry about that. We’ll just give it to you.” Dillon Gabriel just went through that exact scenario with the Cleveland Browns.

At the Browns’ OTAs on Wednesday, June 3rd, newly acquired pass rusher Jared Verse showed up to the field wearing the same jersey number as Gabriel: 8.

“It is my understanding that you can confidently buy your Jared Verse number eight Cleveland Browns jerseys,” NFL insider Mike Garafolo said on Good Morning Football. “Because my understanding is they’re waiting on the NFL’s approval – the Browns are – for Dillon Gabriel to change his number.”

Gabriel has a history with the jersey number. While he wore No. 11 at Central Florida from 2019 to 2021, the later years at Oklahoma (‘22-’23) and Oregon (‘24) saw him don 8 on his back. He brought it with him to the NFL last season, stepping in for Joe Flacco.

The NFL allows two players to share the same jersey number through the offseason training program, but Gabriel will have to clear this up before the final 53-man roster is announced. And it will likely involve a deal with Verse.

“I don’t know the details of the exchange; what Verse gave Gabriel or any of that stuff,” admitted Garafolo. “But it sounds like Verse is going to have number eight, and Gabriel will make the switch once he gets approved. There is something with regard to all the apparel that’s out there already preprinted for Gabriel.”

Per the league rules, if Gabriel is putting the request in himself, and not the team, he might have to buy out all his No. 8 jerseys from the distributors – at retail price. If he had a year to notify the league that he’s changing his jersey, he wouldn’t have had to pay anything for the switch. But changing his number right now won’t be an easy task either.

“It’s not clear what needs to happen for that approval, but quarterbacks are limited to 0-19, and the Browns currently don’t have another number available in that range,” writes Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk. “The only one currently not assigned is No. 14, but that’s been retired for Otto Graham. That’s not likely to be put back into circulation, so someone else will likely be switching their number as the Browns adjust to Verse’s arrival.”

While Gabriel and the Browns figure out how this shuffle will work, Jared Verse doesn’t need to worry about that. But it’s worth noting that he doesn’t have the same history with the number as Gabriel does. At Florida State, Verse wore No. 5, and he only wore No. 8 for his last two seasons with the Los Angeles Rams. But just like Derek Carr edging out Blake Gillikin, Verse has something else making the case for him.

In his debut season (2024), Verse earned the Defensive Rookie of the Year award. He followed it up last season by earning his second-straight Pro-Bowl. Before joining the Rams, he was coming off consecutive first-team All-American seasons at Florida State. While the accolades are enough on their own, he also fills the gap left behind by reigning DPOY Myles Garrett.

“He’s a perfect DNA match for our attacking front,” Browns general manager Andrew Berry said on Tuesday. “He’s really a terror in both phases, both as a run defender and a pass rusher, and we are really, really excited to add him to our team.”

So, Jared Verse dons No. 8, and Gabriel moves on. If nothing else, this tells you exactly where he stands on the totem pole heading into the 2026 season.

Top dawgs for the Dawg Pound

If there is one question head coach Todd Monken has had to field in every presser since he took on the job, it’s about the starting quarterback. Monken gave veteran quarterback Deshaun Watson a chance at redeeming his football career, and he has split the first-team reps with second-year quarterback Shedeur Sanders all offseason. So where does that leave Gabriel?

If you go by Monken’s current assessment of the QB room, he’s not in a good place.

“In a perfect world, you’d love to have your starting quarterback, right? I’m not sure we’ll be there, but I’m just not,” Monken admitted. “I think both quarterbacks have played well enough where we haven’t really been in pads. We haven’t played any games yet. Haven’t really got to that point yet. Every day I kind of lean one way or the other with quarterbacks. – I’ll just tell you, we got two starting-level quarterbacks. We really do.”

The head coach did not reveal his choices. But with Watson and Shedeur splitting reps, we already know who Monken is talking about. Gabriel already had his chance last season, but could not impress.

His starting debut came in Week 5, when the Browns went up against the Minnesota Vikings in London. He even got nominated for NFL Rookie of the Week by going 19-of-33 for 190 yards and two touchdowns. But he went 1-5 as a starter, and by the time he got sidelined with the concussion in Week 11 against the Baltimore Ravens, the Dawg Pound was screaming for Shedeur to start, and he did.

The Browns took Dillon Gabriel’s hard-earned starting role last season when he couldn’t deliver. Now, he’s giving up the number that has been his identity for four straight years. This is turning out to be a tough ride for the Year 2 QB.