The Browns have four quarterbacks. What's going to happen this season?
Taylen Green has his chance to make an NFL roster. It's in Cleveland with the Browns, who took the Arkansas quarterback for a reason. The Browns did not have to do this. Some could argue they really should not have taken Taylen Green, and that making this pick in the sixth round was a mistake, a waste. The rationale behind this line of thought is simple: The Browns now have four quarterbacks: Deshaun Watson, Shedeur Sanders, Dillon Gabriel, and now Green. What's going to happen here?
One line of analysis: The Browns, currently stuck with Watson's huge contract, might want an exit down the line and have Green -- a quarterback who will not start for the team in 2026, probably not 2027 -- bide his time as a backup while getting some snaps in specific situations as a running quarterback. When the Browns are ready to divorce Watson, they'll have Green as their Swiss Army knife option in the quarterback room. If he makes any real improvement as a passer in the next two years -- within the context of a slow development process which doesn't have to unfold under maximum pressure -- the Browns might have a lot more upside in 2028 and could have attractive options at QB.
Another possible line of thought is that new coach Todd Monken will have Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel battle in camp, with the loser being traded and Green becoming the No. 3 quarterback. It makes very little sense for a team to carry four quarterbacks on a 53-man roster when so many other acute positional needs exist.
That last point leads us to this next view: Taylen Green might technically be a quarterback, but he could essentially become another running back for the Browns. He will very rarely be asked to pass and will come into the game as a quarterback who runs in short-yardage situations. That way, Cleveland would essentially have only three quarterbacks and can adjust Green's role within the offense.
It does seem hard to think the Browns would make this pick if they didn't have a specific plan lined up for Taylen Green. They wouldn't go for a "fourth" quarterback if they didn't already know they would shift this QB to a running back or receiver role, possibly a hybrid of the two. It seems to be a point of widespread agreement that Taylen Green will run more than he will throw in Cleveland. The real question might be if Monken wants both Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel on the roster together, or if he wants to see one guy win a camp battle and let the other one go.
Stay tuned. Taylen Green's strange trip to the NFL is just beginning.