The Cleveland Browns will take four quarterbacks into the 2026 season.Deshaun Watson has been named starter for Week 1, despite a rough reception on his return to Huntington Bank Field in preseason.The Browns will take four QBs into 2026, with no cuts made in the roomGettyShedeur Sanders, who battled for that role, will be backup.Dillon Gabriel and 2026 sixth-round draft pick Taylen Green will also be sticking around in Cleveland, to complete a crowded quarterback room.Browns make dramatic quarterback decision for 2026It’s rare for teams to take four signal callers into a new season, and the Browns have gone about it a rather unique way.Gabriel will begin 2026 on injured reserve, and has been designated to return with a back injury.NFL Weekly Newsletter - SIGN UP!talkSPORT is your home for NFL in the UK as we launch our biggest year of coverage yet!2026 promises to be an epic year for NFL on talkSPORT – and we want you to join us for the ride.MORE INFO & SIGN-UP HERE!This season will be our biggest ever with live commentary of 90+ games, including behind-the-scenes access to international games and all three London fixtures, plus bumper coverage of Super Bowl 61 at SoFi Stadium.Exclusive interviews, hard-hitting opinion, latest front-office drama and top breaking news – all delivered straight to your inbox each week.He will miss at least the first four games of the upcoming campaign, which begins on September 13 against the Jacksonville Jaguars.With that move, the team will carry Watson, Sanders and Green as the quarterbacks on their initial 53-man roster.Gabriel, the No. 94 pick in the 2025 draft who started six games last season, injured his back in a preseason-closing win against the New England Patriots on Thursday night.During that game, he impressed by going 12-of-15 for 186 yards, three touchdowns and an impressive 157.9 QBR.That effort, it seems, was enough to avoid being cut — at least for now.By putting Gabriel on injured reserve to begin the 2026 season, the Browns were able to keep all four of their QBs without burning four of the 53-man roster spots.Gabriel will begin the season on IR with a back issueGetty“The creative use of IR to keep Gabriel under team control was Berry’s master stroke in reducing the Browns’ roster to 53,” ESPN Cleveland’s Tony Grossi wrote, for TheLandonDemand.com.“While several backup quarterbacks changed teams at the league cut to 53, Berry either didn’t like the return for Gabriel in trade talks or simply did not want to part with the 2025 third-round draft pick.“So Gabriel was placed on injured reserve and designated to return in a minimum of four weeks, at which time the landscape of the Browns’ precarious quarterback situation could change dramatically. Or not.”Browns buy time for Dillon Gabriel trade with potential partners namedGrossi’s suggestion that the Browns have moved Gabriel to IR in a bid to find a trade partner was backed up by ESPN colleague Daniel Oyefusi.“The Browns trimmed their roster from four quarterbacks to three, but did so without cutting or trading a passer,” Oyefusi wrote.“Instead, Cleveland placed Dillon Gabriel on injured reserve and designated him to return.The Browns have bought some time to find a trade partner for GabrielGetty“Gabriel will miss at least the first four games of the season, but the designation could also give the Browns more time to find a trade partner.”While Oyefusi stopped short of linking any teams with interest in Gabriel, trade talk is certainly heating up.Cleveland head coach Todd Monken said last week that he ‘can’t keep everybody’ on his Browns team. Putting Gabriel on IR buys management some time, but it doesn’t solve their clear QB issue.The Miami Dolphins have been touted as a potential landing spot for Gabriel, after the team traded backup Quinn Ewers and cut Cam Miller.Miami could be a destination for Gabriel, after the Dolphins traded EwersGettyAs it stands Miami only has new starter Malik Willis, and Kyle McCord, on their roster at QB.The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New York Jets and Carolina Panthers have also been named as potential trade partners in recent days.When Gabriel does finally return to action — likely from Week 5 onwards — he could be suiting up for a new team.