Thinking about Browns’ QBs. Kickers & Discipline – Terry Pluto

Browns561/56Cleveland Browns vs. New England Patriots in last preseason game, August 27, 2026CLEVELAND, Ohio – Thinking about the Browns’ final preseason game: The best part of the Browns last preseason game was …Not Dillon Gabriel.That is not meant as a criticism of Gabriel or Taylen Green.As Brad emailed: “Am I the only person thinking that Gabriel and Green may have better prospects than our QB numbers 1 and 2? Think Browns should look hard at the three younger guns before going all in on a QB next year? Jeremiah Smith in a Browns uniform could elevate any QB.”I agree that Ohio State’s Smith would be a boost for any NFL quarterback.That said, you still want a good quarterback. The Browns have to find one.It is never wise to make big decisions based on the last preseason game when no one is playing any starters. Dorian Thompson-Robinson (DTR) was often brilliant in the preseason. Things changed when the games counted.I thought Gabriel was terrific. He was 12-of-15 passing for 186 yards – three TDs, zero interceptions. He received excellent protection from the offensive line.New England did very little blitzing or anything out of the ordinary on defense. While Gabriel is in only his second pro season, he’s a savvy QB. He played six years – that’s right, SIX years in college for three different schools.Gabriel has played a lot of football at a high level before coming to the NFL. “He’s a prideful guy,” said Browns coach Todd Monken. “He’s had a lot of success in his career. That’s all he does. Comes to work every day … prepares like a pro. You can see he can really operate … 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."At the very least, he should be a long-term NFL backup who can occasionally start. He reminds me of Colt McCoy, the former Brown who played in the NFL for a dozen seasons with five different teams. He had an 11-25 record as a starter.I saw one practice where Gabriel was very good, and another where he sparkled as he did Thursday night. The Browns can probably trade him for a low-round draft pick.But does that make sense? It’s hard to imagine Deshaun Watson will be with the team after 2026. As for Shedeur Sanders? Who knows about his NFL future. Like Gabriel, he’s in his second NFL season.Gabriel is a QB you can put in the game. Monken can design a system to help him give a respectable performance at QB.As for Green, the 6-foot-6, 227-pound rookie carried the ball eight times for 66 yards. The athleticism is obvious, a little like a young Lamar Jackson running the ball. Can Green learn to pass like Jackson? That’s unclear. He was 5-for-7 passing for 27 yards. He is a raw talent when it comes to throwing the ball. Patience is required.I’m far more interested in seeing Sanders play QB this season than Green or Gabriel – and certainly more than Watson. Gabriel and Green showed enough promise to keep around, but not sure how the Browns can retain four QBs on their roster.Dillon Gabriel completed 12 of 15 passes in Thursday's game vs. New England. John Kuntz, cleveland.comThe best part of the Browns preseason game was …Only two penalties.That’s remarkable for a game featuring backup players, undrafted free agents and several guys likely to be cut. That usually leads to disorganization, delay of game penalties and other pre-snap flags.None of that happened.This is the most encouraging part of training camp thus far – the Browns are improving in the area of being disciplined on the field.The real test comes in two weeks when the Browns open the season in Jacksonville. But Monken has been stressing the need for the Browns to play like they did Thursday night.In the last two seasons, the Browns had the second most pre-snap penalties in the NFL. Will that form of football malfeasance finally end? Changing that is one of the reasons Monken was hired. Andre Szmyt has been perfect on field goals and extra points in the preseason. John Kuntz, cleveland.comA very good part of the Browns preseason game was … Andre Szmyt.The second-year kicker converted on field goals of 35, 47 and 23 yards. In the preseason, he is perfect on four field goal attempts and six extra points.Never take good kicking for granted. The Browns are still looking for a kicker who can put together two consecutive good seasons since the Phil Dawson Era ended in 2012.After a rocky opening game in 2025 – his first in the NFL – Szmyt finished the season 24-for-27 on field goals and 25-for-26 on extra points.I’m almost afraid to say the Browns may have found a kicker who can stick around for a few years … But … Maybe, just maybe. Szmyt is that guy.PS: The Browns have had 14 different kickers since Cleveland refused to sign Dawson as a free agent following the 2012 season. He kicked for six more seasons after that and finally retired at the age of 43.I'm grateful to my readers who have read me for decades. I'm the author of more than 30 books, a winner of the National Headliner Award as the nation's best sports columnist in 2020 and best sports writer in...