Performance? Good. Numbers? Even better. Luck this season? Not exactly on Dillon Gabriel’s side. Gabriel did almost everything the Cleveland Browns could have asked against the New England Patriots, yet it still may not be enough to save his spot. Head coach Todd Monken has now admitted Cleveland has a difficult quarterback decision to make, largely because Gabriel forced one with his play.

The problem is that Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders remain firmly ahead of him, leaving Gabriel in the uncomfortable position of having to prove he belongs on a roster that may already have decided where he stands.

“Somewhat,” Monken said when a reporter asked whether, after reviewing Gabriel and Green’s performances, the Browns had decided what to do with them or were still debating the roster decision. “Like a lot of players, we don’t want to lose any good players that have a future with the Browns, so we’ve still got some discussions to have. But I was very impressed with both Dillon and Taylen”.

Gabriel had given Monken plenty to think about after completing 12 of 15 passes for 186 yards and three touchdowns against New England. Green impressed differently, completing five of seven passes for 27 yards while leading Cleveland with 66 rushing yards on eight carries.

“Both did it differently, but Dillon’s at least played. He played last year; he’s gotten more reps than Taylen, so he looked like it, and he obviously operated very well. Taylen did the things we thought he would do, which was make some plays with his feet, and there were no issues in terms of the operation.”

And Monken had a point. Gabriel entered this preseason with far more NFL experience than Green, having appeared in 10 games and started six for Cleveland last season. He completed 110 of 185 passes for 937 yards, seven touchdowns and just two interceptions, finishing with an 80.8 passer rating. Green, meanwhile, was still at Arkansas in 2025, where he threw for 2,714 yards with 19 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.

Gabriel’s experience showed, but his night was not flawless. A couple of execution mistakes still stood out.

“The issues we had were a bobbled snap on a fly sweep that we almost lost and then a fumbled snap, and that was really with Dillon. Outside of that, our operation was really clean with those guys. So that’s what you’re looking for.”

The first mistake came during Cleveland’s second touchdown drive in the first quarter.

With 7:37 left in the first quarter, the Browns ran a fly-sweep action involving Gage Larvadain, who took the ball around the left side for four yards. Monken later revealed that the snap was bobbled and Cleveland nearly lost the ball, although the play was not officially recorded as a fumble. The drive continued, and Gabriel eventually hit Luke Floriea for a 14-yard touchdown to give Cleveland a 14-7 lead.

The second mistake was officially recorded. With 3:14 left in the first quarter, Gabriel connected with Ben Patterson for a 52-yard gain, taking Cleveland from its own 27 to New England’s 21. On the very next play, at 2:29, Gabriel fumbled an aborted snap at the Patriots’ 22 and recovered it himself at the 24, resulting in a three-yard loss. Gabriel then responded with an 11-yard completion to Ahmani Marshall, and Cleveland still finished the possession with a 35-yard field goal.

Watson and Sanders still appear set as QB1 and QB2. The real question is what Cleveland does behind them, and whether there is room to keep all four quarterbacks.

Time is running out, with Cleveland needing to trim its roster to 53 and both Gabriel and Green subject to waivers if cut before reaching the practice squad.

A trade is another possibility after Gabriel’s strong showing, with Atlanta emerging as one potential fit under former Browns coach Kevin Stefanski.

Gabriel made his case, but even that may not be enough to keep him in Cleveland.