There’s no telling just yet how things will shake out for the Cleveland Browns at the quarterback position, but to the frustration of many fans, Deshaun Watson appears to have an early lead in the race to start Week 1, with incumbent starter Shedeur Sanders just behind him. Dillon Gabriel is just hanging on at this point, but when it comes to the future of the position, there is buzz about the dark horse: sixth-round pick Taylen Green.
The presumption is that whomever will be the Browns’ quarterback of the future, that player is not yet on the roster, that the Browns will address the position in 2027, either in free agency or, more likely, the draft. Sanders, at 24 years old, could win the job with a breakout season.
But Green has already established himself as a remarkable athlete, a 6-foot-6 marvel who ran a 4.39 40-yard dash at the combine in February. He has so many unusual physical traits that, maybe, he could work through his obvious faults and somehow be a factor the Browns quarterback job in 2027.
Taylen Green Hype Started After the NFL Draft
During rookie minicamp this weekend, head coach Todd Monken walked a fine line between wanting to encourage and support Green while reining in potential hype around–Browns fans should know that there is only a slim chance Green will be on the field this season, as a potential wildcat quarterback or a decoy. But the hype landed anyway.
As prominent NFL insider Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk wrote this weekend, “Green has unlimited potential. If Monken and the Browns can polish up those various fundamental skills, Green could become a dangerous weapon for the Browns.”
“Dangerous weapon” is vague–again, maybe Green’s NFL ceiling is as a gadget player. But “unlimited potential” is not vague, and it’s clear that even in national circles, there is intrigue about what Green can become.
Turnovers the Reason for the Drop to the Browns
One thing Florio pointed out as Green’s big flaw is his extensive release, which just takes too long and is too easy for opponents to diagnose. Interceptions were one of his big problems both at Arkansas and Boise State before that, as he threw 35 of them in four years, including 11 last year for the Razorbacks, an indication that this was not an issue he improved upon as his career progressed but rather, it got worse.
Here’s what the NFL.com scouting report on Green’s delivery noted: “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. 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.”
Green also had 12 fumbles in his final two seasons, though that number did improve, from eight in 2024 to four in 2025. There is some hope about him developing as a run-first quarterback, but that’s never been a winning formula in the NFL.
Browns Want to Shorten Taylen Green Delivery
Still, the excitement about Green is real, even if it is hard to envision him playing a legitimate role for the Browns in the near future. That excitement is always going to be amplified in the days and weeks immediately after the NFL draft, and could pop back up if and when he makes some jaw-dropping plays in a preseason game. But when September comes, it is likely Green will be an afterthought for most fans, and he will need to keep putting in the work of changing his throwing motion.
For Monken, that’s the challenge, to make changes with Green and keep him engaged in that process for the next 12-plus months.
He said of Green: “We’re gonna have to be really diligent in trying to tighten down his release. When you’re talking about check downs taken from as long of his release or long release he has, to really just being able to dart it to get it quickly out of his hands into the hands of whether it’s a running back or a tight end. But I’ve been super impressed with his ability to really learn, process and take it to the field and then getting through his progressions, really impressive.”
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