In quintessential Cleveland Browns fashion, the bulk of the conversation leading up to kickoff of their 2026 season-opener centered upon the third-string quarterback.
Head coach Todd Monken left open the possibility of exciting dual-threat athlete Taylen Green being active on game days, but with some tropical weather in the forecast in Jacksonville for Sunday’s early-window kickoff, it makes the most sense for Cleveland to keep that trickeration in its bag (for now).
With so many new pieces that still need to come together after seeing limited reps in the preseason, the Browns will likely try to feel out the environment early until the game starts to declare itself in the second half.
That could mean a lot of Quinshon Judkins and the Browns’ running game.
Here's our breakdown of the Browns' Week 1 lineup, with Green designated as the emergency QB3 behind Shedeur Sanders (as expected) and one mild surprise in the special teams pecking order at safety.
Cleveland Browns Week 1 inactives
- Taylen Green (emergency QB3)
- Teven Jenkins
- Parker Brailsford
- Justin Jefferson
- Toriano Pride Jr.
- Noah Igbinoghene
- Daniel Thomas
Cleveland Browns Week 1 game-day roster
Quarterback (2): Deshaun Watson, Shedeur Sanders
The chatter about Sanders potentially being demoted to the emergency QB3 was never rooted in reality. Green isn’t ready to step in and run an NFL offense just yet. This figures to be a physical matchup with Jacksonville in some sketchy weather, and making Green one of the 48 active players would leave Cleveland vulnerable at another position.
Running back/Fullback (4): Quinshon Judkins, Dylan Sampson, Raheim Sanders, Michael Burton
Burton managed to avoid the injury report this week, so the 34-year-old fullback should be ready to assume a sizable role in Cleveland’s running game. You could make a case for Sanders being inactive, but the Browns could need all their backs in what could be a run-heavy game plan to start.
Wide receiver (6): Jerry Jeudy, KC Concepcion, Denzel Boston, Isaiah Bond, Tylan Wallace, Malachi Corley
Cleveland’s top five at wide receiver has been solidified since the end of the spring program, with Wallace rounding out the group as the player with the most experience in the Monken system. Corley is up as a kick return specialist and injury depth.
Tight end (3): Harold Fannin Jr., Blake Whiteheart, Carsen Ryan
The Browns could run a lot of 21 personnel with both Judkins and Burton on the field, and they likely wanted all three of their tight ends to be active for maximum versatility. Ryan, as a seventh-round draft pick, could be an inactive on future game days, but he brings enough upside as an inline receiving option to get the nod here in Week 1.
Offensive line (8): Spencer Fano, Zion Johnson, Elgton Jenkins, Austin Barber, Tytus Howard, Dawand Jones, Luke Wypler, Zak Zinter
Teven Jenkins was ruled out with a back injury on Friday, clearing the way for Barber, Cleveland’s third-round rookie, to be the starter at right guard. Fellow rookie Parker Brailsford took a questionable designation into the weekend. He’s behind Wypler as the backup center right now, though, due to missing so much time during training camp. Zinter had a strong finish to camp and enters Week 1 as the backup left guard.
Defensive line (8): Jared Verse, Mason Graham, Maliek Collins, Isaiah McGuire, Mike Hall Jr., Derek Barnett, Adin Huntington, Sam Williams
This might be the most interesting group on the Week 1 roster. Collins hasn’t played since he injured his quad in Week 13 of the 2025 season. Both Barnett and Williams were late additions. Cleveland will lean on its top four up front of Verse, Collins, Graham and McGuire, but it’s going to need all eight defensive linemen to withstand a tough Jacksonville offense in the Florida heat.
Linebacker (5): Carson Schwesinger, Quincy Williams, Easton Mascarenas-Arnold, Winston Reid, Nathaniel Watson
The Browns elevated Nathaniel Watson from the practice squad for this game, which reveals their hand on fifth-round rookie Justin Jefferson. The Alabama product came on strong at the end of the preseason, but he’s more of a special teams asset at this point. Watson has more experience.
Cornerback (5): Denzel Ward, Tyson Campbell, Myles Harden, Mekhi Blackmon, D'Angelo Ross
Ross was Cleveland’s other practice-squad call-up. It’s possible that one of the team’s three late additions to the cornerback room — Blackmon, Noah Igbinoghene and Toriano Pride Jr. — aren’t yet fully caught up to speed. Blackmon has been with the team the longest after getting claimed on waivers ahead of the third preseason game. That left Pride, the seventh-round rookie, and the veteran Igbinoghene inactive.
Safety (4): Grant Delpit, Ronnie Hickman, Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, Donovan McMillon
McMillon had a strong camp to beat out Chris Edmonds, but him getting the nod over Daniel Thomas as the fourth game-day safety might be the biggest surprise. Not only is Thomas a former Jaguar, but he has the special teams chops to be a legitimate captain for the team in that area. Week 1 represents a major opportunity for McMillon.
Special teams (3): Andre Szmyt (K), Corey Bojorquez (P), Rex Sunahara (LS)
No surprises here. Now let's play some football.
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