The Atlanta Falcons already have one of the most unusual quarterback rooms in the league… Two left handed passers. A new head coach. A former first-round pick rehabbing a torn ACL. And a veteran on a one-year prove-it deal. That isn't exactly the most promising situation for Kevin Stefanski to inherit.
Now Bleacher Report's Kristopher Knox is pointing to a move that would make Atlanta’s quarterback situation even more unique and, oddly enough, more logical: making a trade for Dillon Gabriel.
Gabriel, a 2025 third-round pick of Stefanski's with the Cleveland Browns, started six games last year and posted an 80.8 passer rating with seven touchdowns and two interceptions before losing the QB1 job. He appeared in 10 games total, throwing for 937 yards and completing 59.7% of his passes.
Cleveland’s quarterback room has since become overcrowded. With Deshaun Watson, Shedeur Sanders, and sixth-round rookie Taylen Green all in the mix, Gabriel is widely viewed as the odd man out. The projected cost? A 2027 seventh round pick.
The Falcons should consider trading for Dillon Gabriel to reunite him with Kevin Stefanski
Now Stefanski is installing that same timing-based, accuracy-driven system in Atlanta. And he went to bat for him over Sanders in Cleveland, who's to say he won't do the same thing by bringing his guy to the Falcons?
If Michael Penix Jr. and Tua Tagovailoa were to both miss time simultaneously (something their injury history makes a real possibility), inserting a right-handed backup forces the entire offense to flip.
Protections reverse. Rollouts reverse. Play-action timing changes. Receiver landmarks shift. Even how backs scan in pass protection changes. Keeping a left handed backup preserves the structure of the offense.
Why this keeps coming up
Many fans may be thinking, “Why would Stefanski want to create another quarterback situation?” But this move would do the opposite. Dillon Gabriel would clearly be QB3. A low-cost insurance policy for a room built around two players with recent injury histories and a scheme that benefits from handedness consistency.
For a projected seventh-round pick, the Falcons wouldn’t be adding a quarterback problem. Rather they would be protecting against one. That is one of many reasons this idea is surfacing, which include:
- Stefanski’s history with Gabriel
- Cleveland’s crowded quarterback room
- Atlanta’s uniquely left handed depth chart
- Michael Penix’s ACL rehab timeline
- Tua Tagovailoa’s one-year contract
Individually, none of those are compelling. But when all of those realities overlap at the same time, they start to form a clearer picture. One that, as unlikely as it may seem, makes you wonder… What if?
Because if Atlanta truly is building its offense around left=handed timing, protection structure, and rhythm passing, then adding Gabriel wouldn’t be strange at all. It would be the most on-brand move Stefanski could make.
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