The Cleveland Browns considered a trade for Atlanta Falcons quarterback Dillon Gabriel during their spring quarterback review cycle, according to offseason analysis published this week. The discussion never reached formal offer stage but signals the organization's ongoing search for Watson-adjacent optionality after $230 million guaranteed delivered 19 touchdowns and 12 interceptions across two seasons.
Gabriel, drafted by Atlanta in the third round at pick 89 in April, threw for 3,660 yards and 25 touchdowns at Oregon last season. The Falcons selected him as developmental depth behind Kirk Cousins, who signed a four-year, $180 million contract in March. Any Cleveland offer would have required draft capital—likely a 2026 third-rounder minimum—to extract a player Atlanta views as 2026 insurance if Cousins' age-36 season deteriorates.
The consideration matters because it reflects Cleveland's resource calculus entering Year Three of the Watson contract. The quarterback's $46 million cap hit in 2024 cannot be moved without accepting $172 million in dead money, making him structurally untradeable through 2025. Yet the Browns front office continues evaluating mid-tier alternatives rather than committing to the existing asset or drafting a high-capital replacement. Gabriel represented the middle path: young, inexpensive, plausibly competent if Watson's shoulder or decision-making continues eroding.
The Browns ranked 18th in offensive EPA per play last season and 24th in passing success rate, numbers that keep ownership from declaring the Watson experiment closed but prevent playoff advancement past wild-card weekend. General manager Andrew Berry has spent $142 million on receiver and offensive line upgrades since the Watson trade, attempting to build around limitations rather than replace the limitation itself. A Gabriel trade would have extended that philosophy—another $3-4 million in draft capital spent on insurance rather than commitment.
Atlanta, meanwhile, has no incentive to move Gabriel unless Cleveland offered a 2025 second-rounder, which would price the deal above Cleveland's risk tolerance. The Falcons view Gabriel as a 2026 starter candidate if Cousins' contract becomes prohibitive or performance declines. Moving him now for mid-round compensation would leave Atlanta with only Cousins and camp bodies, a depth chart no playoff-adjacent team accepts voluntarily.
The review cycle also included internal discussions about Tennessee's Will Levis and Las Vegas' Aidan O'Connell, per league sources, though neither quarterback generated serious trade exploration. Cleveland's evaluation process appears designed to generate board options rather than execute transactions, a pattern consistent with organizations trapped between sunk costs and uncertain futures.
What matters for Cleveland's front office is whether ownership permits a 2025 draft investment at quarterback. The Browns hold the 30th overall pick in April, too late for the consensus top-three passers but positioned for second-tier prospects like Alabama's Jalen Milroe or Colorado's Shedeur Sanders if either slides. Spending that pick on a quarterback would signal acceptance that Watson's prime is behind him, even if his contract remains immovable. Passing on the position again would extend the Gabriel-style insurance search into another cycle.
For sponsors and suite buyers, the consideration is simpler: Cleveland sold 98.2 percent of stadium capacity last season despite 11-6 and a wild-card exit, revenue insulation that reduces urgency around quarterback resolution. The organization can afford another year of Watson plus insurance rather than forcing a succession plan ownership hasn't approved.
The Browns open training camp in late July. Offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey will finalize the quarterback room by then, likely Watson, Jameis Winston, and a late-round rookie. Gabriel will report to Atlanta, where his preseason snaps determine whether Cleveland's spring interest becomes a 2026 trade conversation instead.
The takeaway
Cleveland explored Gabriel acquisition as Watson insurance but never formalized offer, revealing front office's preference for optionality over commitment.
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