The Cleveland Browns selected an intriguing prospect at quarterback in Taylen Green of Arkansas at the top of Round 6 on Saturday, but that doesn’t preclude the team from making a stronger move at the position once the NFL draft is complete.
Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com wrote as much, while ruling out one prominent veteran option known to be on the trade market.
“The Browns aren’t expected to trade for Colts backup Anthony Richardson, but they might have other young veterans on their radar,” Cabot reported. “The QB rooms will be shuffled today as teams add quarterbacks, and some unexpected names could surface.”
Cabot mentioned Cleveland dealing for a veteran backup, as Shedeur Sanders and Deshaun Watson are already on the roster, while Green’s addition now appears to render Dillon Gabriel an expendable trade candidate.
However, head coach Todd Monken made an interesting comment regarding San Francisco 49ers QB Mac Jones at the annual league meetings in March, which ESPN’s Adam Schefter revisited during his coverage leading up to the draft.
“Asked at last month’s owners meetings why he thought there had not been a more robust [trade] market for Jones, Browns coach Todd Monken told reporters he could not comment because the 49ers quarterback is under contract and any comment could be construed as tampering,” Schefter wrote.
“I would just tell Kyle [Shanahan] to cut him,” Monken said, per Schefter. “And then we’ll see what the market is.”
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GettyFormer Washington wide receiver Denzel Boston.
Quarterbacks are not strong candidates to move ahead of mid-season trade deadlines because that requires them to learn a new system on the fly.
Because of that, and because Jones’ trade market didn’t spike during free agency in March or the pre-draft days in April, he may just play out his contract in San Francisco and become a free agent next March, at which point the Browns can potentially pursue him.
That said, things look to be changing quickly in Cleveland after an impressive first two days of the draft, during which the Browns secured the first offensive tackle off the board in Spencer Fano (No. 9) and two wide receivers with first-round grades in KC Concepcion (No. 24) and Denzel Boston (No. 39).
After landing running back Quinshon Judkins and tight end Harold Fannin Jr. in Rounds 2 and 3 last year, respectively, and orchestrating an overhaul/rebuild of the offensive line this offseason, the Browns may be just a true No. 1 QB shy of really going for it in 2026, with the team likely to field an elite defense on the opposite side of the football.
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GettyFormer Arkansas quarterback Taylen Green.
Sanders could be that player. Watson almost certainly isn’t. And Green is far too young and raw to be the guy now, save for some massive steps forward in the coming months.
Green ran a 4.36-second 40-yard dash time and posted a 43.5-inch vertical at the NFL combine, and his dual-threat abilities profile similarly to Lamar Jackson, who Monken coached as the offensive coordinator with the Baltimore Ravens for the last three years.
Jones, a former first-round pick who has made $20 million over the course of his five-year career and rebuilt his value as a starter in 2025 by going 5-3 over 11 appearances, is a vastly different player and a more traditional pocket passer. He put up 2,151 yards, 13 TDs and six INTs on 69.6 percent passing for the 49ers last season.
Trading Jones now would remove San Francisco’s security blanket behind Brock Purdy and wouldn’t help the team in 2026 because the draft has come and gone. However, the Browns own the rights to their own third-rounder in a loaded 2027 draft, which might be enough to pry Jones away from the Niners if they can find another suitable backup QB.
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