If the last few days have taught us anything about the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and their backup quarterback situation, it should be that things aren’t great and the Buccaneers really need to do better to try and solidify the position.
That was made clear when former Buccaneers backup quarterback Teddy Bridgewater told the Detroit Lions he was going to “step away” from football — a middling backup who spurned the Buccaneers this offseason, which led to Tampa Bay signing Jake Browning.
Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox listed the NFL’s top players who should be on the trade block ahead of the regular season — including 2nd-year Cleveland Browns quarterback Dillon Gabriel, who would be the perfect fit to land with the Buccaneers and vastly upgrade a position of the utmost need.
“Cleveland Browns quarterback Dillon Gabriel is undersized (5’11”, 205 lbs), and he largely underwhelmed as a rookie last season (80.8 QB rating),” Knox wrote on August 10. “However, he managed to show flashes of accuracy and good decision-making (7 TDs, 2 INTs) while playing with an awful supporting cast. Fellow 2025 rookie Shedeur Sanders, who is being given a chance to compete for the starting job this year, posted a 68.1 quarterback rating. Gabriel isn’t an NFL starter, but the former Oregon standout and Heisman finalist has the tools and intangibles to be a quality backup … Gabriel is unlikely to bring a big return in a trade, but with Cleveland moving in a new direction, it should make him available.”
If the Buccaneers are willing to part with a 6th-round pick — maybe even a 7th-round pick — it could bring them Gabriel and a vast improvement at backup quarterback.
Terrible NFL Situation for QB Dillon Gabriel
Gabriel couldn’t have been drafted into a worse situation for a young NFL quarterback — not totally surprising because it’s the Browns.
Before that, though, he was pretty highly thought of across 6 seasons at 3 different colleges — UCF, Oklahoma, and Oregon — and left college with FBS records for starts (63), touchdown passes (155) and total touchdowns (190).
“Gabriel leaves college as one of the most productive passers in NCAA history, but he does not project as an NFL passer,” ESPN’s Ben Solak wrote before the 2025 NFL Draft. “He’s 5-11 and does not have the movement traits or arm talent of Bryce Young or Kyler Murray. Gabriel has a quick release and fast eyes, so he could work in college-inspired offenses.”
Browns Invested Day 2 Pick in Dillon Gabriel
Gabriel outpaced his draft projection, where NFL Draft analyst Lance Zierlein had him predicted as a 4th- or 5th-round pick.
The Browns selected Gabriel in the 3rd round (No. 94 overall).
“Gabriel is an older and smaller QB prospect, but he offers a tremendous amount of game experience and productivity,” Zierlein wrote in 2025. “He operates with poise and confidence from the pocket. His field vision is average, but he typically takes care of the football. He’s capable of playing within the confines of an offense and can create yards with his legs as needed. Gabriel’s accuracy and timing is accurate on shorter throws, but the placement becomes erratic when pushed outside of his comfortable range. He might require a ball-control passing game to help manage his lack of arm talent and keep him from throwing into closing windows. He’s an effective scrambler who is able to elude pressure and make plays outside of the pocket. Gabriel requires a very specific offensive fit, but he’s a gamer with enough good tape to have a chance to become a decent backup.”
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