Former NFL quarterback turned online personality Kurt Benkert believes the Miami Dolphins may make a quarterback trade in the build-up to the 2025 NFL season.
According to a source, the Miami Dolphins were in play for a quarterback in the NFL draft, but he was taken off the board before they got a chance to select him. Benkert now believes the South Florida franchise will make a play for that same QB, who could be available.
Cleveland Browns overflow leads to Miami trade
The Cleveland Browns quarterback situation is ongoing, with a battle for the starting job likely running all the way through into training camp and the preseason.
Cleveland drafted two quarterbacks in the 2025 NFL draft, selecting Dillon Gabriel in round three, before going back for Shedeur Sanders in round five. Not only that, but they also traded QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson and a fifth-round pick to the Philadelphia Eagles to land Kenny Pickett.
Now, the Browns find themselves with four quarterbacks taking reps at practice, while $230 million man Deshaun Watson remains sidelined with a re-ruptured Achilles. Many believe his time with the Browns is over as they hunt for a new franchise quarterback.
When it comes to final roster cuts, Cleveland is going to have to cut somebody from the roster. Even if that quarterback lands on the practice squad, there isn’t going to be room for four QBs on the 53-man squad.
That means either one of the two rookies, the QB they traded for, or veteran Joe Flacco is going to be the fourth-string QB, and therefore surplus to requirements. If they opt to put any of those four QBs on the practice squad, they either have enough potential or enough experience to be quickly claimed by another franchise.
The best case scenario for Cleveland, while keeping that in mind, is to make a decision and trade one of their assets before they lose the opportunity to do so.
Kurt Benkert believes the Miami Dolphins would be a prime landing spot for Dillon Gabriel, should the Browns decide they prefer Shedeur Sanders.
The former NFL QB took to X this week, explaining that the Miami Dolphins really liked Gabriel as a prospect:
“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 fit in Miami makes sense. Gabriel is a pocket passer whose career is built on accuracy and the ability to drive the offense down the field with short to medium completions. They wouldn’t be trading for him as a replacement for franchise quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, but he does have the upside ability to run Mike McDaniel‘s offense.
If he then develops correctly, Miami has a QB in the room that has the potential to be a future starter.
Dillon Gabriel’s extensive college experience
Gabriel spent the first three seasons of his college career at UCF, where he immediately won the starting job as a freshman. He threw 61 touchdowns and just 11 picks in his first two seasons at the college level, before an injury abruptly ended his third year.
He broke his left collarbone on the last play of the game against Louisville, which would turn out to be his final rep in a UCF uniform. Gabriel later transferred to Oklahoma, where he suited up for the Sooners in both the 2022 and 2023 seasons.
Once again, he was surgical on the field, throwing for 55 touchdowns and 12 picks over two seasons as the program’s starter.
Gabriel’s third and final stop was the Oregon Ducks, where he played one season in 2024. The sixth-year college QB threw for a career high 3,857 passing yards, with 30 touchdowns and six picks.
Overall, Dillon Gabriel threw for 18,722 passing yards, 155 career touchdowns, and just 32 interceptions. He thrived in three different offenses under several different coaching staffs, and came into the NFL with as much experience as a college quarterback can manage.
