BEREA, Ohio (AP) — Dillon Gabriel's performance in the final two preseason games appeared to be enough for the Cleveland Browns to go with three quarterbacks instead of four.
Coach Kevin Stefanski selected the rookie third-round pick as Joe Flacco's backup on Tuesday after the initial 53-man roster was set.
Gabriel looked set as the second quarterback after Cleveland dealt Kenny Pickett to the Las Vegas Raiders for a fifth-round pick in the 2026 draft Monday night.
“We feel comfortable with Dillon serving that role," Stefanski said. “Kenny’s a guy I think very highly of and so do I wish him well. He’s a really good football player, but those are the type of decisions that you have to make.”
Gabriel directed the Browns to either a touchdown or field goal on five of his seven drives. He also directed a pair of two-minute, first-half drives against the Philadelphia Eagles and Los Angeles Rams.
In his two preseason outings, Gabriel completed 25 of 37 passes for 272 yards with one touchdown and one interception.
Stefanski added though that assessing Gabriel went beyond the games.
“It’s such an all-encompassing evaluation. Everything the guys did in the games was important. We also saw a lot of them out here in practice and how they are at their craft,” Stefanski said. "He’s certainly somebody that we think is getting better and better.”
Pickett did not play in any of the preseason games and was limited since suffering a hamstring injury on July 26.
Fifth-round pick Shedeur Sanders will be third string and the scout team QB.
If the Browns wanted to bring in another experienced quarterback, they could do so via the practice squad. One option would be Tyler Huntley, who was released on Sunday but was the only QB to appear in all three preseason games.
Deshaun Watson is making steady progress after his Achilles tendon injuries, but was placed on the physically unable to perform list.
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Cleveland Browns quarterback Dillon Gabriel speaks during a news conference after an NFL preseason football game against the Philadelphia Eagles on Saturday, Aug. 16, 2025, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)
Cleveland Browns quarterback Dillon Gabriel (5) throws a pass during the first half of an NFL preseason football game against the Los Angeles Rams, Saturday, Aug. 23, 2025, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
AMSTERDAM (AP) — Maximilian Ibrahimović is moving from one club his father used to play for, and going to another.
The 19-year-old winger, the son of soccer great Zlatan Ibrahimović, joined Ajax on loan from AC Milan on Wednesday.
“It’s cool that he also played for Ajax. I am happy that I have the opportunity to play here also and to develop," Maximilian Ibrahimović said.
“I want to write my own story. I am my own person, my own player, I am here to do my own thing. And I am really looking forward to that.”
Zlatan Ibrahimović currently serves as senior adviser to Milan’s American owners — acting as the key link between them and the club’s sporting operations, including player development — and would have had a significant part in his son’s move.
Italian media reports said Ajax has paid Milan 3.5 million euros ($4 million) for the loan until the end of the season, when the Dutch club will have the option to make the deal permanent.
“We are very pleased with the arrival of Maximilian," said Marijn Beuker, Ajax's director of football. "He is a talented forward with a good sense of positioning in and around the penalty area, and he has strong goal-oriented finishing.
"He is skillful with his dribbling and, above all, has a great winner’s mentality and training attitude.”
The Swede has progressed through the youth teams at Milan but has never played for the senior team, although he was part of the squad that traveled to Saudi Arabia for the Italian Super Cup last month.
He has scored five goals in 16 matches for Milan Futuro this season.
“He will initially mainly get his playing minutes with Ajax U23 and will regularly move between Ajax U23 and the first team during the season, so that he can get used to the higher level and the intensity of Ajax 1," Beuker said.
"Maximilian is a player with a lot of potential, and we hope that in time he can become a permanent part of Ajax 1’s attack.”
Zlatan Ibrahimović played for Ajax from 2001-2005, netting 48 goals in 110 appearances and winning the Dutch league twice as well as the KNVB Cup.
The talismanic forward scored 93 goals in 163 appearances over two spells at Milan, winning two Serie A titles and the Italian Super Cup.
"Ibrahimović is just a name. I am just Maximilian," the younger Ibrahimović said. “If I cared about my name then it would be all wrong, it wouldn’t even be fun to play if I would always compare myself. I don’t even think I look like him.”
Zlatan's other son, the 17-year-old Vincent Ibrahimović, recently signed his first professional contract with Milan.
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FILE - Sweden's striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic of Ajax Amsterdam celebrates after he scored his and his team's second goal against Olympique Lyonnaise during their Champions League match in Amsterdam Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2002. (AP Photo/Dusan Vranic, file)
FILE - Former soccer star Zlatan Ibrahimovic stands before the Italian Super Cup semifinal soccer match between Juventus and Milan in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Friday, Jan. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri, file)
