For the second consecutive year, the Cleveland Browns used a Day 3 pick on a quarterback. Taylen Green wasn't on many teams' radars and was clearly a work in progress, but the physical tools made him a worthy gamble.
Despite all the hype and intrigue surrounding the 6-foot-6 athlete, he hasn't gotten much run in training camp, and he was held out of Cleveland's preseason-opening loss to the Chicago Bears. He won't play in preseason Game 2 against the Buffalo Bills, either, but his time is finally coming.
According to head coach Todd Monken, the Browns will give Green some action in the third preseason game against the New England Patriots on Thursday, Aug. 27.
“(Green’s) doing fine,” Monken said. “Really smart, doing a really good job, but we just don’t have enough reps for him.”
The Cleveland Browns need to see what they have in Taylen Green
Green was always a developmental guy and a long-shot to play much — if at all — in 2026. He wasn't even a lock to make the roster, but he gives the team another dynamic athlete to use in short-yardage, goal-line, and trick-play situations.
He blazed past most quarterbacks at the NFL Scouting Combine with a 4.36-second 40-yard dash and a 43.5-inch vertical. He's elusive, has a bazooka for an arm, and showcased his dual-threat abilities by forcing 29 missed tackles in his final season at Arkansas.
He also struggled with turnovers in college, and it takes far more than athleticism and physical traits to stick around in the NFL at the quarterback position.
That said, it's not like the Browns have a crowded quarterback room. Green arguably has as much upside as Dillon Gabriel, who was a third-round pick in 2025. Gabriel has been a distant third on the depth chart behind Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders in training camp.
As things stand now, all signs point to Watson getting the nod to start the Browns' regular-season opener at Jacksonville. Sanders may not even get to play much with the starters in this weekend's preseason game against the Bills, and Monken has been soft-launching Watson as the starter, dating back to spring workouts.
The Browns shouldn't carry four quarterbacks on their 53-man roster, especially when none of them might be starter material. Gabriel should be the odd-man out, with Green sticking around for at least a year of development.
In a pinch, the Browns could probably have Green switch positions to play elsewhere in the offense at some point, though they've insisted they see him as a quarterback. Whatever the case, the fans will finally get a glimpse of the intriguing gunslinger who's been stuck at the bottom of Cleveland's depth chart.
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