The Cleveland Browns cut their roster down to 53 players over the weekend, and it was an important weekend for the Browns in figuring out what their roster is going to look like for the 2026 NFL season. 

Though we do have the initial 53-man roster for Cleveland right now, things are going to look different by the time Week 1 against the Jacksonville Jaguars rolls around.

The Browns’ quarterback situation is the big storyline coming out of roster cuts

The big storyline for the Browns going into roster cuts was how many quarterbacks they would opt to keep on the 53-man roster. Technically, Cleveland only kept three quarterbacks on the active roster, which matched expectations. However, four quarterbacks remain in the mix for the team.

Dillon Gabriel was placed on injured reserve with a back injury, and he will now have to miss the first four games of the regular season before being eligible to return. The back injury came out of left field. Nobody heard about it coming away from the final preseason game against the New England Patriots, a game where Gabriel played very well for the Browns. He went 12-of-15 passing for 186 yards and three touchdown passes with no turnovers.

Coming away from the game and roster cutdowns, this feels like a move the Browns made to keep four quarterbacks in the mix for now. The injured reserve designation kicks the can down the road for Cleveland, allowing the team to delay the decision on which of the four quarterbacks to let go and subject to waivers.

Why the timing of this move matters for Cleveland

The Browns could potentially get either Green or Gabriel to the practice squad, and either could clear waivers more easily a few weeks into the season when teams aren’t actively searching for a third quarterback. That would lessen the likelihood of an outside team putting in a claim. Gabriel could legitimately have an injury, but this still looks like a move the Browns made to keep their four quarterbacks around for now.

Deshaun Watson is going to be the starter for the opener against the Jaguars, but each of his past three seasons playing with the Browns has been marred by durability concerns. Staying healthy has been a real problem for Watson, and he has not been able to accomplish it while wearing a Browns uniform to this point.

With that being said, the Gabriel situation could take care of itself if Watson ends up hurt before Gabriel is eligible to return for the team’s fifth game. If any of the other three quarterbacks suffer an injury, the roster math changes on its own. Otherwise, the Browns are going to have to decide to either keep four quarterbacks on the active roster, which is not very likely, or cut either Green or Gabriel when he comes off injured reserve.

Cleveland made the injured reserve move as a loophole to keep their four quarterbacks. Time will tell what they do from here.