The Cleveland Browns open training camp on Thursday with quarterbacks and rookies reporting to Berea, and the biggest storyline surrounding the 2026 season is clear. Cleveland’s quarterback battle between Shedeur Sanders and Deshaun Watson will define coach Todd Monken’s first training camp as the Browns head coach. With a four-quarterback room and only three roster spots available, the Browns face decisions that could reshape the position group before the regular season arrives.

Browns quarterback room sets up training camp competition

Monken inherits a crowded quarterback room that includes Sanders, Watson, sixth-round rookie Taylen Green, and former third-round pick Dillon Gabriel. The Browns are only keeping three quarterbacks at most on the 53-man roster, which means someone is the odd man out before the season begins.

Watson is back on the roster after sitting out all of 2025 while recovering from an Achilles injury. His money is guaranteed, and the Browns were never going to cut him and eat the dead money. Green, selected just a few months ago in the draft, is also safe I believe. The Browns aren’t going to cut a sixth-round rookie before he gets a chance to compete in camp.

That leaves Sanders and Gabriel competing for the third spot, and the Browns would prefer to trade one rather than release outright.

Gabriel appears to be the odd man out

Gabriel has been the most likely candidate to be moved since the Browns drafted Green in April. Cleveland took Gabriel in the third round last year, a selection that seemed like a reach at the time. Now, with no connection to the current coaching staff and younger options ahead of him, Gabriel’s days in Cleveland appear numbered.

In an ideal world, the Browns find a team that views Gabriel as a suitable backup and moves a late-round pick to acquire him. Even a conditional seventh-round pick would represent a win for Cleveland to settle its QB room for 2026. Quarterbacks are hard to find regardless of whether a team needs a starter or a backup, so there could be a market for Gabriel if the right opportunity presents itself.

Sanders is a different story. The Browns saw glimpses of decent quarterback play from him as a rookie when he threw seven touchdown passes to 10 interceptions. Moving Sanders would likely require a fifth-round pick or better, and the Browns are less inclined to part with him given what they’ve seen.

Browns could turn a weakness into a small advantage

The best-case scenario for Cleveland is straightforward: take a position group that has been a weakness for years and extract some draft capital from it before the season starts. Trading Gabriel for a late-round pick turns a roster cut into a minor asset, and keeping three quarterbacks with different skill sets gives Monken options for the season.