A third-round pick is usually low risk, high ceiling. But here in July 2025, it’s becoming clear. Dillon Gabriel wasn’t just a project; he might be a misfire. And now Kevin Stefanski, who quietly signed off on the selection back in April, is being forced to wear it. The Browns’ head coach, whose future already hangs in the balance after back-to-back disappointing finishes, now finds himself tethered to a quarterback room that looks more like a roulette table than a depth chart.

Gabriel was their wildcard. A dynamic lefty with a lightning release and nearly 18,000 career passing yards between UCF, Oklahoma, and Oregon. But NFL speed is cruel. And the pads haven’t even come on yet. Aditi Kinkhabwala put it bluntly on the July 11 episode of the Ultimate Cleveland Sports Show, “I would say the same for Dillon Gabriel. For as much as he’s shown, he still has to show that he can overcome his size.”

That size, a little under 6’0″ and barely over 200 pounds, isn’t just a number. It’s a limitation. Mid‑June voluntary OTAs offered a tantalizing early look, Dillon Gabriel led all quarterbacks in reps, completing 22-of-36 passes with multiple touchdowns (his lone interception was wiped off via replay), outperforming even Kenny Pickett and veteran Joe Flacco. Coming off a near 73% completion rate and 30 TDs at Oregon in 2024, Gabriel brought momentum. But translating that into NFL-level performance remains a steep learning curve.

Now the heat turns up. Gabriel isn’t pushing Pickett. He isn’t pushing Flacco. He’s fighting to hold off Shedeur Sanders, the 5th-round rookie already drawing late-camp buzz. And that puts Kevin Stefanski in a brutal spot. Kinkhabwala didn’t let that slide either: “Neither is ready. They’re just not ready. You know, there are certain rookies that are drafted and they are ready for the National Football League. These guys just aren’t. Like, they just aren’t.” And if Stefanski puts one of them under center in September? He loses the room.

“The reality is, why would you go out there and how could you do that to the rest of the team and say, ‘We’re not interested in winning.’” That’s the worst part. This mistake isn’t just about Gabriel. It’s about optics. About what this team is trying to be, a playoff-caliber squad while running a QB experiment in real time. The HC didn’t sign up for that.

Kevin Stefanski is uncertain over the QB Trade

While Kinkhabwala called the rookies unprepared, they might get an opening in the season. Let’s not sugarcoat it, Kenny Pickett didn’t come to Cleveland to be QB4. And yet, with Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel in town, and Joe Flacco hanging around with a Super Bowl ring, Pickett might already be the odd man out. Kevin Stefanski says they’re evaluating, but you don’t keep four quarterbacks active unless chaos is your offensive identity.

Nathan Zegura, the Browns’ radio analyst who’s been around enough QB controversies to smell one from 100 yards, didn’t dodge the issue. “Probably at this point, Kenny Pickett,” he said when asked who’s most tradable. Why? “He’s a former first-round pick, he is young, and went 15-10 as a starter.” That’s not blind optimism, that’s resume logic. And the Saints might be circling.

New Orleans OC Kellen Moore worked with Pickett last year in Philly. Moore knows the kid, the flaws, and what Pickett looks like when he’s confident. Add in the Saints’ uncertainty around Tyler Shough, and suddenly the smoke becomes fire. Zegura even floated it, “Maybe we need to bring him (Pickett) down here to be the starter and see what he has.”

Now, let’s talk about minicamp. Pickett went 38-of-63. That’s about 60.3%, decent but not spectacular. Kevin Stefanski hasn’t made his quarterback call yet. But the Browns might already be quietly preparing the paperwork.