The Cleveland Browns had a busy 24 hours Friday, both inside and outside the draft room.
Cleveland selected four players across the second and third rounds, including its first QB of the proceedings: Dillon Gabriel, formerly of UCF, Oklahoma and, most recently, Oregon.
The decision, which the Browns made with the No. 94 overall pick, came as something of a surprise considering Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders remained available. However, general manager Andrew Berry said the team had been strongly considering Gabriel with that specific pick for several weeks.
“We really felt strongly about Dillon throughout this process,” Berry told reporters on April 25. “That’s not to say that we didn’t meet with other quarterbacks that we thought were really talented players and good people. But we felt strongly about Dillon.”
Not only was Cleveland’s call on Gabriel a comment on Sanders, it was also indicative of how the Browns feel about Deshaun Watson. Watson still has two years remaining on his $230 million contract and continues to rehabilitate a twice-torn Achilles tendon, which could sideline him for part, or all, of the 2025 campaign.
Cleveland’s commentary on Watson this offseason, including owner Jimmy Haslam publicly admitting that trading for and signing the QB at great cost was a mistake, has many around the league believing Watson’s days in orange and brown are over — even if the paychecks keep rolling in through 2026, which they will.
However, Watson took to Instagram on Day 2 of the draft with another in a long series of videos showing his workouts/progress as he fights back from injury.
Watson captioned the video with a five-word message: “Focus only on victories everyday!”
The quarterback has yet to share a direct reaction to the team drafting Gabriel, or to the Browns’ decisions to trade for Kenny Pickett and reunite with Joe Flacco via free agency.
Watson has, however, asserted that he will return better than ever. He was a three-time Pro Bowler in his first four seasons with the Houston Texans, but missed nearly two years due to off-field legal and civil issues involving more than two dozen allegations of sexual misconduct before returning to play for the Browns.
Since then, Watson is 9-10 as a starter with 3,365 yards, 19 touchdowns and 12 interceptions on 63.4% passing. Also, two of his three years in Cleveland have been cut short by season-ending injuries.
Related: Deshaun Watson Blamed for Cleveland Browns Trading Away No. 2 Pick
The Cleveland Browns had a busy 24 hours Friday, both inside and outside the draft room.
Cleveland selected four players across the second and third rounds, including its first QB of the proceedings: Dillon Gabriel, formerly of UCF, Oklahoma and, most recently, Oregon.
The decision, which the Browns made with the No. 94 overall pick, came as something of a surprise considering Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders remained available. However, general manager Andrew Berry said the team had been strongly considering Gabriel with that specific pick for several weeks.
“We really felt strongly about Dillon throughout this process,” Berry told reporters on April 25. “That’s not to say that we didn’t meet with other quarterbacks that we thought were really talented players and good people. But we felt strongly about Dillon.”
Not only was Cleveland’s call on Gabriel a comment on Sanders, it was also indicative of how the Browns feel about Deshaun Watson. Watson still has two years remaining on his $230 million contract and continues to rehabilitate a twice-torn Achilles tendon, which could sideline him for part, or all, of the 2025 campaign.
Cleveland’s commentary on Watson this offseason, including owner Jimmy Haslam publicly admitting that trading for and signing the QB at great cost was a mistake, has many around the league believing Watson’s days in orange and brown are over — even if the paychecks keep rolling in through 2026, which they will.
However, Watson took to Instagram on Day 2 of the draft with another in a long series of videos showing his workouts/progress as he fights back from injury.
Watson captioned the video with a five-word message: “Focus only on victories everyday!”
The quarterback has yet to share a direct reaction to the team drafting Gabriel, or to the Browns’ decisions to trade for Kenny Pickett and reunite with Joe Flacco via free agency.
Watson has, however, asserted that he will return better than ever. He was a three-time Pro Bowler in his first four seasons with the Houston Texans, but missed nearly two years due to off-field legal and civil issues involving more than two dozen allegations of sexual misconduct before returning to play for the Browns.
Since then, Watson is 9-10 as a starter with 3,365 yards, 19 touchdowns and 12 interceptions on 63.4% passing. Also, two of his three years in Cleveland have been cut short by season-ending injuries.
Related: Deshaun Watson Blamed for Cleveland Browns Trading Away No. 2 Pick
