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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers named as a potential landing spot for former Cleveland Browns starting quarterback Dillon Gabriel. The Buccaneers potentially need a young backup they can grow behind Baker Mayfield. They signed Jake Browning in free agency, and they have brought in some undrafted free agents at the quarterback position to try out for the roster.

The Browns drafted Gabriel in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft last year. They acquired that pick in the Amari Cooper trade with the Buffalo Bills.

Gabriel started six games, throwing for 937 yards, 7 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions. While Gabriel did not turnover the ball very often, he took 19 sacks and struggled to push the ball down the field. His yards per attempt was only 5.1; the league average is approximately 7 usually.

The cost for Gabriel should be miniscule. Bleacher Report projects his price to be a 7th round pick in next year’s draft.

Gabriel Has Not Lived Up To Expectations

GettyThe Browns benched Gabriel for Shedeur Sanders in the middle of the 2025 season.

Gabriel started for the Browns after they traded Joe Flacco to the Cincinnati Bengals. Following a 1-5 record with him as a starter, the Browns benched Gabriel for Shedeur Sanders. The Browns drafted Taylen Green in the 2026 NFL Draft, and they expect Deshaun Watson to still be on the roster. Gabriel now looks on the outside looking in going into training camp.

PFF gave Gabriel a 49 grade for the 2025 season, ranking 41st among 43 quarterbacks. Despite only having two interceptions, Gabriel had 10 turnover worthy plays in his stint as a starting quarterback. 7 of those turnover worthy plays happened within a clean pocket. For Gabriel to become successful, he will have to learn how to play from a clean pocket as those type of mistakes are unacceptable in the NFL.

Not to mention, Gabriel is extremely undersized for his position. While he did not participate in the drills at the NFL Combine or the Oregon pro day, his height (5’11”) and weight (2o5 lbs) are extremely poor for the position. He will need to bulk up significantly to have staying power as well.

Gabriel Had An Accomplished College Career

GettyGabriel was a six year starter in college football before leaving for the NFL.

Despite his lack of success in the NFL, Gabriel performed exceptionally well at the college level. He holds the FBS record for total career passing touchdowns at 155. While he started, he topped his conference multiple times as a leading passer in terms of yardage, touchdowns, and yards per game. Across several conferences as well, that is impressive for any player and significant for his player profile.

Gabriel was a six year contributor in college football, playing for three different schools across 64 total games. He played three years at UCF in the American Conference before transferring to Oklahoma. Two years later, he transferred to Oregon where he led the team to the college football playoffs. They lost in the Rose Bowl to Ohio State. That 2024 season, Gabriel finished third in the Heisman voting.