The Cleveland Browns quarterback has no shortage of drama with Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders. Former third-round quarterback Dillon Gabriel causes plenty of headlines as well.
With that in mind, it’s easy to forget about sixth-round rookie Taylen Green. The rookie, though, finally made his preseason debut Thursday night against the New England Patriots and looked solid doing so.
Make no mistake, he’s a project quarterback. But Green made clear to reporters after the game that he wants to develop at the NFL level in Cleveland.
“The Browns drafted me, so that always means a lot. Not only to my family, but to myself,” Green told the media, via Cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot. “Learning the community, and getting to know people and getting to know the city. It really means a lot to me.
“So, I would love to be a Cleveland Brown.”
Rookie QB Taylen Green Stresses He Wants Opportunity With Browns
Green spoke to reporters after his first game experience at the NFL level. In the contest, most of Green’s most impressive highlights came on the ground.
The quarterback rushed for a team-high 66 yards on eight carries. One of his rushing attempts went for 30 yards.
As a passer, Green completed 5 of 7 passes but for only 27 yards.
Green is an intriguing developmental prospect because of his dual-threat capabilities. But he’s still a raw passer.
“He has a long, unorthodox delivery and tends to baby too many throws. He can generate enough velocity and distance to stress defenses over the second and third levels,” wrote NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein during the 2026 draft process. “Green puts the ball in harm’s way at an alarming rate, which will translate to greater trouble against more talented defenders and more complicated coverage reads.
“His ability to win with his legs on called runs or pocket breaks pushes his value beyond his passing profile. Green’s upside will be tantalizing but his ceiling will only track with his growth as a passer.”
The question is will he get the chance to stay in Cleveland. The Browns are going to keep Watson and Sanders, with Watson the team’s starter in Week 1.
For most of the preseason, it appeared the Browns were preparing to part with Gabriel. But Thursday night, Gabriel played very well, completing 12 of 15 passes for 186 yards and three touchdowns.
The performance could do one of two things — it could raise Gabriel’s trade value for the Browns to still move on. Or, Cleveland could elect to keep Gabriel instead, pushing Green off the roster.
Even if the Browns don’t keep Gabriel, Green isn’t guaranteed to be the team’s QB3. Then again, even if Cleveland waives Green (with Gabriel on the roster or not), the team could still bring back the rookie on the practice squad.
The Browns quarterback questions will get sorted out this weekend. The NFL’s roster cut deadline will arrive at 6 pm ET Sunday.
Rookie QB Taylen Green Sends Strong Message to Browns as Roster Cuts Loom