Dolphins Trade Proposal Lands Rookie QB Competing With Shedeur Sanders

The Miami Dolphins are not in the market for a starting quarterback, but did infuse some competition into the backup job by drafting a rookie quarterback who was once considered the top prospect in his draft class.

The seventh-round selection of former Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers gives the team some potential behind Tua Tagovailoa, but one former NFL quarterback believes the Dolphins could continue to stock up on young talent by trading for a rookie quarterback competing with Shedeur Sanders for a role with the Cleveland Browns.

The Browns also have a crowded quarterback room, and former quarterback turned analyst Kurt Benkert believes the Dolphins could use that to their advantage.

Dolphins Could Target Former Oregon Quarterback

Benkert pointed out that the Dolphins once had eyes on former Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel, who ended up going to the Browns with the 94th overall pick. He suggested the Dolphins could make a trade proposal to bring him to Miami.

“I wouldn’t be shocked to see the #Dolphins trade for #Browns QB Dillon Gabriel at the end of preseason,” Benkert shared in a post on X. “They liked him a ton and saw him as an incredible scheme fit with athletic upside and were going to take him a few picks later, but then the Browns drafted him (per source) The Dolphins traded that pick away after Gabriel was no longer available”

The Dolphins ended up taking Ewers in the seventh round, leaving him to compete with former No. 2 overall pick Zach Wilson for the backup job. Many NFL insiders saw Ewers as a potential Top 10 overall draft pick before his final season at Texas was derailed by injuries and inconsistent play, and Benkert noted that the Dolphins preferred Gabriel over Ewers in their initial draft projections.

“Nothing against Ewers, they took him at a spot they liked – but it’s believed the preference was Gabriel earlier in the draft,” Benkert wrote.

Browns Face Decisions in Crowded Quarterback Race

The Browns brought in plenty of talent to compete for the job while Deshaun Watson recovers from a twice-torn Achilles tendon, including veterans Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett. After the team drafted Gabriel in the third round, they added Sanders in the fifth round.

Sanders was seen as a value selection for the Browns, with the Colorado quarterback dropping sharply from initial projections that he could go at the top of the first round. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported that Sanders made an impression on the team in minicamp, though the true final depth chart will not start to shake out until the start of training camp and the preseason.

The Browns are not likely to keep all four quarterbacks on the active roster, making either Sanders or Gabriel — or potentially both — candidates for the practice squad. If the rebuilding Browns believe they can get a useful return for Gabriel, they could be willing to trade the rookie quarterback to the Dolphins, though the team may want to continue to grow their investment throughout the season.