AnalysisDillon Gabriel was sharp in his first extended action of the preseason. Ken Blaze / Imagn ImagesAug. 27, 2026 Updated 9:48 pm EDTThere were no boos for the home team quarterbacks in the first half of the Cleveland Browns’ preseason finale against the New England Patriots Thursday night.Five days after Deshaun Watson was booed by the home crowd and three days after the Browns named him their starting quarterback, the starters didn’t play versus the Patriots. There was basically no reaction from the sparse crowd during pregame warmups toward Watson.Those who came to see the Browns’ and Patriots’ backups cheered as Cleveland quarterback Dillon Gabriel, No. 3 in the team’s pecking order throughout the spring and summer, threw three first-half touchdown passes.Gabriel was 12-of-15 for 186 yards with two touchdown passes to Luke Floriea and another to Ahmani Marshall as the Browns scored 17 first-quarter points and took a 27-13 lead at halftime.Browns coach Todd Monken named Watson the starter Monday after he went 5-of-12 with an interception versus the Buffalo Bills’ backups and then called the boos “disrespectful” after the game.After being named the starter, Watson walked back some of his postgame comments and vowed to deliver a better product for the organization and the fan base in 2026, the final year of his fully guaranteed $230 million contract.Watson and Shedeur Sanders split the reps throughout the spring and summer before Monken ended the competition ahead of the final preseason game. Monken said Sanders didn’t play Thursday night because the Browns needed to get Gabriel more reps. There was probably more to it than that — the Browns might not have wanted Watson to hear Sanders cheered — but Gabriel made the most of his opportunity.A third Gabriel-Floriea connection later in the second quarter was initially ruled a touchdown but later overturned by replay review. Gabriel made six starts for the Browns as a rookie last season before being injured in November and replaced by Sanders, who went on to start the final seven games.Tuesday morning, the Browns had to remove some anti-Watson signs and banners that angry fans placed around Huntington Bank Field. Watson has started just 19 games over his four previous seasons in Cleveland, and some fans cheered in October 2024 when he suffered a torn right Achilles tendon during a home game versus Cincinnati.Monken believes Watson’s experience gives the Browns the best chance to win. They open the regular season with road games at Jacksonville and Tampa Bay before their first home outing in Week 3 against the Carolina Panthers.