As the Cleveland Browns begin unraveling what to do with their quarterback room, the choices seem to be pretty stark, and seem to be coming from a menu of options they do not want. Coach Todd Monken said before the season that keeping all four–rookie Taylen Green, second-year former starters Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders, plus starter Deshaun Watson–was not ideal, especially not for a team with depth issues like the Browns.
But, through media reports, the Browns have also been loudly saying they do not want to trade anyone, though it is possible that a late-round draft pick could be had for Gabriel or Sanders. With Gabriel slated to see his injured reserve stint run up this week, setting up a trade makes sense, but the team is actively shutting down that talk.
That would leave one option, outside of keeping four quarterbacks on the roster: Moving Green to the practice squad.
Browns’ Todd Monken Praised ‘Damn Smart’ Taylen Green
That is probably where Green should be, but the Browns have resisted doing that because they’re afraid he could be poached. If Green, a sixth-rounder in this year’s NFL draft, is on the practice squad, he can be signed by any team willing to put him on the 53-man roster.
The Browns pretty clearly don’t want to risk losing Green, but his immense physical skills will catch the attention of opposing teams.
Monken has been effusive in his praise of Green: “First of all, he’s so damn smart. That dude is smart as heck to go out there and function, we hardly give him any reps. I love that dude. … We got him on the perimeter one time, which is what you’ve got to do down there in the red zone, but all he does is work, always has a smile on his face. I’m happy we got him.”
Taylen Green Might Not Sneak Through Waivers
But how else can the Browns resolve this four-quarterback dilemma? If there is no trade, it’s either demote Green or carry all four.
Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com raised the issue on the latest, “Orange and Brown Talk” podcast: “I don’t know exactly what they’re going to do because at this point, I don’t know if you’re going to be getting Taylen Green through waivers. I think there is a good chance some people might look at him and view him as a possible third quarterback to have on their roster. There have been so many quarterback injuries this year that people are getting down into their depth.
“So, I don’t know, I think there is a world where people could think, ‘Maybe we could do something with this 6-foot-6, 4.36 in the 40 quarterback.’ So, I would be reluctant to try to expose him to waivers to get him back on the practice squad. But I don’t know what the other alternative is going to be if they don’t keep four.”
Browns Could Push Back Decision
Now, it might not be an issue for the Browns right off the bat, because even if they open the practice window for Gabriel, they have 21 days to actually activate him. That’s kicking the can down the road, but it could be the only path right now.
Said Cabot: “I do believe they will designate Dillon Gabriel to return this week. As you mention, they then have 21 days, they open his practice window for 21 days and in that timespan, if they go ahead and activate him, which they will sometime in those 21 days, then they have to make a decision–do they keep four quarterbacks or do they move another quarterback somewhere, somehow?”
Browns Face Losing 6-Foot-6 23-Year-Old in Quarterback Shuffle