Browns activate Dillon Gabriel, keep all 4 QBs

Cleveland had until the end of Gabriel's 21-day practice window to decide on him, and it chose not to cut a quarterback.

Mary Kay Cabot

@MaryKayCabot

#Browns activate Dillon Gabriel (back) off IR and keep all 4 QBs on the 53-man roster, including 6th-round pick Taylen Green; to make room, they waived 7th round TE Carsen Ryan, who will likely resurface on the practice squad: --> t.co/AcT9yJDtGd

That's a lot of quarterbacks. Gabriel joins Deshaun Watson, Shedeur Sanders and 6th-round rookie Taylen Green, so the Browns are carrying 4 passers on a 53-man roster in late October. The obvious cheap move was to waive Green and hope he made it through to the practice squad. GM Andrew Berry didn't take that chance. He sent Ryan, a 7th-round tight end, through waivers instead, and Cabot expects him to resurface on the practice squad.

Gabriel has been out since the summer. He hurt his back in the preseason finale against the Patriots, went on IR at the August 30 cutdown and returned to practice October 6. He comes back to a depth chart that kept moving without him. Watson has locked down the starting job, and Sanders, the guy Gabriel was drafted 2 rounds ahead of, is the No. 2. Gabriel wasn't really part of this summer's QB conversation before the injury, and he isn't now.

So why keep all 4? The Browns are winning, and on a winning team every roster spot connects to the trade deadline.

Ian Rapoport

@RapSheet

From The Aftermath on @nflnetwork: The #Browns are winning, which brings fascinating QB and trade questions into play.

That's the real story. A 5-2 Cleveland team with Watson playing well has no reason to keep 3 developmental or backup quarterbacks forever. Holding Gabriel, Sanders and Green together for now is a way to keep options open. Another team that needs a quarterback could call about Sanders or Gabriel, and Berry would rather have something to sell than lose a rookie to waivers for nothing.

For now, 4 QBs is a temporary setup that costs a tight end spot. Keep an eye on the run-up to the deadline. If Cleveland keeps winning and somebody calls about one of those backup quarterbacks, this logjam probably clears itself, and Ryan may be back on the roster soon after.