Browns QBs Dillon Gabriel, Taylen Green make most of limited snaps

CLEVELAND ― They were, in a lot of ways, stuck on the Island of Misfit Toys.

While Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders were battling to determine who would start the Browns' regular-season opener, Dillon Gabriel and Taylen Green were just battling to get a snap during practice. Even in a week when they were going to be the only two quarterbacks playing in the preseason finale against the New England Patriots, neither had a single 11-on-11 practice rep.

For them, there was only one way to handle the situation.

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"We were laughing," Gabriel said after the Browns' 37-13 win over the Patriots. "We were just telling each other, 'F— around and find out.' We've all played a bunch of football, but there's still timing with guys and all that s—, but we figure it out."

The two G's, Gabriel and Green, certainly seemed to figure it out in their own ways in their most substantial snap counts of the preseason. Gabriel played the entire first half, leaving with a 27-13 halftime lead, after only playing 19 combined snaps over the first two preseason games.

Green exceeded his previous preseason game high when he ran on the field with 11:45 remaining in the third quarter. It was the first time the rookie sixth-round pick out of Arkansas had been on the field in an NFL game.

"Yeah, I mean, he definitely helped a lot," Green said of Gabriel. "We're going through similar situations and, like I said, we're just trying to put our best foot forward and trusting. I'm really spiritual, so just trusting God and trusting his plan that he has for me.

"It's one of the Bible verse that I put on my arm, and just really just control what you control at the end of the day. I mean, put one foot in front of the other and do your best, and that's all we can do. I mean, that's in football, but that's in life, too."

The two quarterbacks, meanwhile, made the Patriots find out. Gabriel was 12-of-15 passing for 186 yards and three touchdowns, along with a 157.9 passer rating, in his 30 plays.

Green was just 5-of-7 passing for 27 yards. However, the other aspect of his game ― his legs ― were on display with his game-high 66 rushing yards on eight attempts.

In the process, both quarterbacks left coach Todd Monken and general manager Andrew Berry with a difficult choice about the back end of the quarterback depth chart. They must get the roster down to the initial 53-man limit by 6 p.m. Aug. 30, and quarterback is one of the major points of contention.

Do they keep both Gabriel and Green? Do they waive one? Do they trade one? It's all things to be weighed by Monken and Berry.

"That's why we played both of them, right?" Monken said. "That's why we played them to try and help us a little bit in terms of where we're at from a roster standpoint. So we got a lot to talk about because I thought they both did some really good things.

"I really think the way they played was how I thought they'd play — Dillon really within himself, very poised, and then Taylen was going to have some splash plays, some plays where you get him on the perimeter and use his athleticism as you keep working to refine his throwing ability, not throwing, but his passing. So, again, it was fun to watch him play, but just like every position, we're going to have to cut it down. We can't keep everybody."

Monken summed up succinctly the challenge in trying to figure out what to do with the two quarterbacks. Gabriel's the more polished and experienced of the two, but Green's athleticism and skill set in a 6-foot-5, 230-pound frame is tantalizing.

Gabriel showcase his strengths in the five drives he had in the first quarter. He rarely stretched himself beyond his limits, but mixed in accuracy, mobility and a presence in the pocket that showed growth from the six games he started as a rookie in 2025.

“I just treat every opportunity like its own," Gabriel said. "I’m not going to put pressure on it like this is my one opportunity. I’m just unaffected by whatever it may be. I’m just focused on, of course, maxing the opportunity, but not making it more than what it is. I’m not naive of what this all comes with, but I want to play well and put good s— on tape.”

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The allure of Green can be summed up by one play on his second possession. Faced with a second-and-10 from his own 2, he dropped back, then drifted to his right near the back line of the end zone.

Green, though, reversed field slightly, which opened up a seam. That's all he needed to take off on a 30-yard run, which kick-started a 15-play, 98-yard touchdown drive.

“No, you’re not really thinking about it — of course you’re thinking about the situation, but I’m just taking it one play at a time, one day at a time," Green said. "Like I said the other day, my focus was to keep the chains moving and do whatever I had to do to keep the chains moving.

"In the huddle, when we went to 98 [yards], I told them, ‘Hey, we’re on the 2-yard line, let’s go 98, take it 98.’ And we did. That was an exciting feeling, to end the drive with a touchdown.”

Chris Easterling can be reached at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on X at @ceasterlingABJ. Sign up for Browns Insider newsletter at https://profile.beaconjournal.com/newsletters/browns-insider/

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Browns QBs Dillon Gabriel, Taylen Green make most of limited snaps

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