Browns Execute Abnormal Roster Adjustment, Will Carry 4 QBs

To carry four active quarterbacks or not to carry four active quarterbacks? That's a question the Cleveland Browns finally provided an answer to on Monday, one day after improving to 5-2 on the season behind Deshaun Watson's first 300-yard game in a Browns uniform. 

Cleveland officially activated 2025 third-round pick Dillon Gabriel off the IR and to the 53-man roster and in a corresponding move, waived rookie TE Carsen Ryan. 

For weeks, speculation mounted over what the Browns would do once Gabriel was due to return from a back injury that saw him placed on the IR on roster cutdown day back in August. With Watson, Shedeur Sanders and rookie Taylen Green already active members of the roster, Cleveland would have to execute a rare roster practice of carrying four signal callers. 

As it turns out, that's exactly what they'll do. 

By rule, Gabriel was required to miss the first four games of the season after being placed on the IR ahead of Week 1.The Browns opened his 21 day practice window to return off the IR back on October 6 and he's practiced every day during that span. They had a deadline of Tuesday to decide whether or not to activate him, or else he would have reverted back to the IR and his season would be over.

During his weekly Monday, press conference, Monken noted that he and Executive Vice President of Football Operations Andrew Berry would have to talk through how to manage the roster if it did carry four quarterbacks. As it turns out, the adjustment didn't come from the QB room itself, but from the tight end room, with Ryan as a casualty. 

Once he clears waivers, it's likely the Browns will look to bring him back on the practice squad. Ryan was a seventh-round pick for Cleveland back in April. 

Carrying four quarterbacks is an abnormal practice in today's NFL, but not totally unheard of. Four teams actually began the season with four active QBs, including the Philadelphia Eagles, the Atlanta Falcons, the Minnesota Vikings and Cleveland's Week 8 opponent the Pittsburgh Steelers. 

Despite speculation that the Browns will ultimately move a player inside their overly crowded QB room, there is no indication that a trade is imminent. The franchise is not actively shopping any of their quarterbacks either. 

Of course, there's always a price if the right offer comes along and changes that. But for now, the Browns are locked in with four quarterbacks.