EmailPrintBEREA, Ohio -- The Cleveland Browns on Sunday trimmed their roster from four quarterbacks to three ahead of the NFL's cut-down deadline at 6 p.m. ET Sunday but did so without cutting or trading a passer.Instead, Cleveland placed Dillon Gabriel on injured reserve and designated him to return with a back injury. The Browns will carry Deshaun Watson, Shedeur Sanders and rookie Taylen Green as the quarterbacks on their initial 53-man roster.Gabriel injured his back in Cleveland's preseason-closing win against the New England Patriots on Thursday night, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. Gabriel had pain Saturday and underwent an MRI. He will be eligible to return after the first four games of the regular season.The No. 94 pick in the 2025 draft, Gabriel started and played the first half of the preseason finale, throwing three touchdown passes. First-year coach Todd Monken was complimentary of Gabriel, who also started six games as a rookie."He's a prideful guy, he's had a lot of success in his career and all he does is prepare," Monken said. "That's all he does. Comes to work every day, prepares like a pro. You can see he can really operate. I mean, he gets it. He gets what we want to do. He has a certain confidence about him when he takes the field. And I'm fired up. ... It's like having a coach."Green, a sixth-round pick, played in the second half of the preseason finale, his first action in the preseason. He completed 5 of 7 passes for 27 yards and ran for a game-high 66 yards on eight carries. The Browns sat Watson, who was previously named the Week 1 starter, and his backup, Sanders, after they received extensive work in training camp and the first two preseason games.As part of moves to trim the roster to 53, the Browns placed rookie tight end Joe Royer on the reserve/non-football illness list. Royer, a fifth-round pick, missed all of training camp because of personal reasons. He will be eligible to return after the first four games of the season.When Monken was asked Saturday whether he expected Royer to play in 2026, Monken said, "I'm not gonna comment on that."
