Talk about a wild turn! Quarterback Dillon Gabriel, fresh off lighting it up in the preseason finale, has been placed on injured reserve by the Cleveland Browns. This move came down on Sunday, directly contradicting earlier reports that had him making the initial 53-man roster.
The Back Injury Betrayal
Man, this one stings! Gabriel just balled out, completing an insane 12-of-15 passes for 186 yards and three touchdowns in that last preseason game. Seriously, no one saw any sign of an issue, but the Browns are citing a back injury as the reason for the IR placement. It just goes to show, you never know what’s going on behind the scenes. It’s a bummer, especially when a guy looks that good and then vanishes right before the season kicks off.
Watson’s QB Room and the Roster Crunch
So with Gabriel sidelined for at least four games, Deshaun Watson is locked in as the Week 1 starter for Cleveland. Shedeur Sanders and rookie Taylen Green are the other quarterbacks making the 53-man roster. It means those guys gotta be ready, because Gabriel won’t be back for a bit, and depth is everything in the NFL. And it’s not just Gabriel, tight end Joe Royer is also staying on the non-football injury list, meaning he’s out for at least four games too.
The Browns made a ton of other moves to get down to 53 players. They outright released cornerback Myles Bryant, defensive tackle Sam Kamara, and cornerback D’Angelo Ross. Then they waived a whole crew: defensive tackles Travis Bell, Elijah Chatman, and Tyreak Sapp; running backs Davon Booth and Ahmani Marshall; offensive linemen Kinsley Eguakun and K.T. Leveston; defensive ends Logan Fano and Khordae Sydnor; wide receivers Luke Floriea, Gage Larvadain, and Kole Wilson; linebackers Edefuan Ulofoshio and Nathaniel Watson; punter Wes Pahl; and safety Zion Washington. That’s a lot of guys trying to catch on somewhere else before the season starts.
Week 1 is coming fast for the Browns, and they’ve clearly got their depth charts set, even if it means stashing some talent on IR. What a grind it is for these guys to make an NFL roster! And speaking of NFL action, our own Seattle Seahawks just duked it out with the Kansas City Chiefs to a 9-9 tie. Wild start to the season for the Emerald City’s finest!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Pro Football Talk.
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