While most NFL rookies ease into the summer with playbooks and position drills, Dillon Gabriel found himself calling plays for fourth graders. This comes following the minicamp, where he, sure, did impress Kevin Stefanski. After Day 1 of minicamp, where Dillon only completed 7 of the 18 passes, throwing only 1 TD, Kevin managed to look beyond the numbers as he noted, “He’s got really great ability to ball-handle. To put the ball out on a play-action when it looks like a run, pulls it back, and throws the pass. There’s a lot of skill to that.”

But hold on a second… Fast forward to now, just a few days later, during the Browns’ youth camp in Berea, you can hear Dillon laying out this exact route for the youth team QB. This youth camp was also about putting their new rookie class to work in the most unexpected way: flag football coaches. It wasn’t just for show. The quarterbacks, including Gabriel and fellow rookie Shedeur Sanders, jumped in with energy and intent, trading cleats for clipboards. And in a room full of Cleveland’s future stars, Gabriel wasn’t hiding. He was leading.

Mic’d up on the sidelines, Gabriel dropped in like a locker room veteran. “Drop back. Drop back. Find him on the first play,” he instructed the youth quarterback before rallying the rest of the huddle. “Everyone! Do what you do. Go live. Just ball out, bro. Ballers ball. Let’s go. Let’s get a team break. On me on 1, 2, 3… GOATED!” It was loose. It was fun. But it also didn’t feel like a rookie going through the motions. And maybe, it was him signalling to the Dawg Pound, ‘Hey, you get that from me. Leadership!”

So, here’s where it gets interesting. The Browns are floating the idea of carrying four quarterbacks into the season—Shedeur, Kenny Pickett, Joe Flacco, and Gabriel. Deshaun Watson‘s rehab from his Achilles injury is showing no signs of making it back in time. And while that (4 QB roster) sounds like chaos, it might be just savvy roster politics. As Mike Florio framed it, “It’s entirely possible the Browns are putting out the notion… to create some/any trade leverage.”

However, Florio also added that when it comes to putting someone on the trade block, it might very well be Pickett, who gets the axe. So, no, real plans of chalking, either Gabriel or Sanders. If anything, the youth camp just gave fans a first look at the future.

And Kevin Stefanski seems to have made his call—at least behind closed doors. Mary Kay Cabot reports the team believes it can “find a way” to keep all four signal callers, even if that means trimming elsewhere on the 53. But that move won’t go unnoticed. Borrowing a slot from the offensive or defensive line to preserve a fourth QB is no small shake in a league where injuries make flexibility essential.

But is Dillon Gabriel really safe?

The Browns say they’re comfortable keeping four quarterbacks, but that’s only half the story. While minicamp ended with smiles, the real competition is heating up in Berea. Dillon Gabriel, the third-round pick from Oregon, is technically one of five quarterbacks in the mix, not excluding Watson. That leaves Gabriel fighting for pecking order with Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, and Shedeur Sanders. That’s a lot of arms for just one depth chart.

Gabriel’s play this offseason has been loud. Quietly loud, if that makes sense. He didn’t throw a single interception in the five minicamp practices open to media. He went 48-of-83 with eight touchdowns, all while showing flashes of command and rhythm. And he knows what he’s chasing. “Just continuous improvement,” Gabriel said as camp wrapped. “In this profession, I think there’s a bunch of progression and regression, but your ability to manage that as fast as possible allows you to create improvement at a faster pace.” That’s not rookie speak. That’s a quarterback trying to separate himself—fast.

But don’t be fooled—Shedeur Sanders is coming for the same seat. According to ESPN Cleveland’s data, he led all QBs in completion percentage (77.4) and threw more touchdowns (nine) than anyone else during the same stretch. Both Gabriel and Sanders are reportedly viewed as roster locks, per Mary Kay Cabot. But locks today don’t always translate to Sundays in the fall. And let’s not forget the Browns still have Joe Flacco and Kenny Picket. Two veterans with drastically different résumés and timelines.

GM Andrew Berry didn’t shy away when asked if all four could make it. “Absolutely, absolutely, absolutely… If they all play well enough,” he told Yahoo Sports. But that “if” is doing a lot of work here. If you’re from the Dawg Pound wondering who gets traded or cut: keep watching. The preseason starts Aug. 8 vs. Carolina. All eyes will be on Gabriel, Sanders, and this quarterback carousel.