Dillon Gabriel didn’t have the rookie-year breakout everyone expected from the Heisman Trophy winner out of Oregon. The young quarterback went just 1-5 in his six starts this season. And the Cleveland Browns, who’ve long been confused about their quarterback situation, are now going all-in on a backup from Gabriel’s college days as their next big QB prospect.

“Like all the NFL teams looking for a QB, the Browns have paid special attention to Oregon’s Dante Moore. He was born in East Cleveland and lived in Elyria for a while. He then moved to Detroit, where he was a star at Martin Luther King High,” said Terry Pluto of Cleveland.com.

“He started his college career at UCLA. After a season, he transferred to Oregon for 2024 – where he backed up Dillon Gabriel. He is a projected first-round pick. He has only 18 college starts so far in his three-year career.”

That background makes Dante Moore, the Oregon Ducks’ quarterback, a perfect fit for Cleveland. He’s got local Ohio roots that hit close to home. In 2023, Moore stepped in for nine games at UCLA, helping them to a 5-4 record in those outings as he showed early promise. But last season, he transferred to Oregon, where Gabriel still ruled as the starter. Instead of forcing his way in, the young quarterback chose to sit back and learn.

According to reports, if the Browns revamp their offense with Dante Moore under center, things can turn out better in 2026. The Oregon Ducks’ QB has already been getting himself compared to the likes of CJ Stroud (Houston Texans’ QB). Reports believe that with Moore coming to Cleveland, they can easily score 10+ wins and pose a serious threat to the AFC North.

This year, Moore exploded onto the scene. He stepped up as Oregon’s starter for 13 games and delivered a stellar 12-1 record. He lit up the field with an over 72% completion rate, racking up more than 3,000 passing yards and 28 touchdowns. The Browns see that polish as exactly what their shaky QB room needs right now.

“I could have gone to multiple places, any place in the country, to be honest,” said Moore on Dec 13. “I just felt like I needed to sit back and get myself together.” 

But the Oregon product isn’t flawless. He’s got an interception problem, coughing up eight picks just this season alone. That glitch catches the eye because the Browns’ own quarterback depth chart is already struggling, with Shedeur Sanders dealing with the same woes, per analysts.

What’s the issue with Shedeur Sanders holding the ball too long?

Like Gabriel, even Sanders has had a humbling rookie year so far, sitting at just a 1-3 record in his starts. Analysts are starting to dig deeper, wondering what’s really holding back the Colorado college leader.

“Shedeur Sanders delivered a familiar collection of forgettable snaps and memorable throws (including two deep shots to rookie Isaiah Bond) against the Bears,” NFL analyst Nick Shook of NFL.com wrote. “He missed a few throws and had a teammate (Jerry Jeudy) fail him when Jeudy dropped Sanders’ pinpoint accurate pass in the end zone, resulting in one of three interceptions. He’s still holding onto the ball for too long.”

Sanders did snag a win in his first start of the season against the Raiders in Week 12. But the rookie is battling an issue he’s dealt with before, back in his college days at Colorado, one that’s followed him straight to the league.

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The former Colorado quarterback stands as an all-time leader in college with a completion rate of 71.8%. Yet he threw 13 interceptions and got sacked over 90 times during his time there, exposing some risky habits under pressure.

And the picture in the NFL hasn’t changed much for Sanders. The rookie QB tends to hold the ball too long, which leads him to either forcing an interception or getting sacked as the pocket collapses.

This year alone, Sanders has thrown six interceptions, with three coming in Week 15 during their loss to the Bears. He’s also been sacked 13 times total, including a rough five sacks in the same game.