It is no secret that the Cleveland Browns‘ current group of quarterbacks is less than inspiring. The team has made Deshaun Watson, who is about as popular as a paper cut, the starting quarterback but has also made it clear that might not remain the case through the course of the season. There’s speculation that he could be replaced by Shedeur Sanders as early as Week 3. And because the team had no idea what to do with Dillon Gabriel, who started six games last season, they stuffed him on the injured list. The only quarterback left untarnished in all this is the one we’ve not seen in an NFL game: rookie Taylen Green.
That’s not a bad thing for Green, either. The Browns have hinted at the possibility of using his 6-foot-6 build and 4.36 speed in certain short-yardage or wildcat packages, and it’s possible he could even rise to be QB1 by the end of the year. But keeping a low profile during what is shaping up to be a meh season for Browns quarterbacks could be in his long-term interest.
Taylen Green Should Be on the Roster in 2027
With a week to go before the start of the NFL season, the folks at The Athletic were asked to size up the state of play in the AFC North, and Browns beat writer Zac Jackson was blunt when it comes to the team’s four-man quarterback room. As crowded as it is now, Jackson lays out a scenario in which the only one still standing once this season is put to rest is the sixth-round rookie, Green.
“It’s a mess,” Jackson wrote about the quarterback room. “Watson gets the nod to start the season, but this is a franchise that’s had at least three starting quarterbacks in each of the last three seasons and had at least one backup start a pre-November game in seven of the last 10 seasons. Shedeur Sanders is next, and he’s going to get to start at some point this season. Rookie Taylen Green is the long-term developmental option. …There is a strong possibility only Green will still be on the roster next summer.”
Browns Likely to Clear Out QB Room
That would make sense. There is very little chance that, unless Watson looks like he did when he was with the Texans in 2020, he will be back with the Browns in any way, shape or form, having milked $233 million in guaranteed money from the team over the last five years. Sanders is likely to get a chance this year, but if he does not show he can be a capable NFL quarterback, the Browns won’t keep him around beyond this year.
Gabriel might not stick with the team beyond his four-week stint on in the injured reserve. When he comes off, the Browns could look to trade him or may finally just let him go. The Browns, then may well open 2027 with Green and whomever they draft in April as the starting QB competition.
Browns Have High Praise for Taylen Green
The Browns do appear excited about the possibilities with Green, who slipped until late in the draft because his length is also a disadvantage–he has a slow, loping release that needs to be rebuilt if he is to succeed in the NFL. But coach Todd Monken has sung his praises.
Monken said that though Green is not getting reps, he is making the most of his time: “He’s very diligent. He’s a diligent note taker, you look at his notes, so is Dillon. But Taylen, he stands back there even in the walks, and I can see him mentally going through the reps. So, I think that’s the biggest thing, looking at film, mentally going through the reps. Maybe not be getting the physical reps, but he gets the mental part of it, and then some of his athleticism that ends up taking over.”
Browns Rookie Taylen Green Gets Strong Prediction on Future