Taylen Green isn't ready to be QB1, but if the Browns made him a starter, it wouldn't be ridiculous.
There's a huge, towering irony behind the Cleveland Browns' already-tortured relationship with Taylen Green of Arkansas. No one is saying or implying that Taylen Green is a proven NFL starting quarterback who deserves to be QB1 in 2026. Green was and is a project. He is not a quick-fix, ready-to-play signal-caller. Of course he should be spending most of this season observing the game and learning the ins and outs of NFL football in preparation for 2027, when he can be a bigger and more valuable asset to the Browns or any other team in the league. However, there is an argument for making Taylen Green the Browns' starting quarterback this year, and it's not completely preposterous (somewhat, but not fully).
The argument is not very complicated at all.
The Browns could turn 2026 into Taylen Green training school. Green would be thrown to the wolves in a context of on-the-job training. The Browns might win only one or two games if they did such a thing ... and that's the point. The Browns would openly tank for an elite 2027 NFL Draft quarterback prospect. They could start over. They will be done with Deshaun Watson after this season. That marriage is over, and January will mark the official moment of divorce. They should let go of Dillon Gabriel as well, unless the former Oregon quarterback shows them something this season (which is unlikely). Cleveland could keep Shedeur Sanders as its main backup quarterback. The Browns would draft a top-level quarterback as the intended QB1.
It's not insane. Play a young quarterback, give him all the reps, and see what happens, knowing that the worst outcome is actually the best outcome. Getting the No. 1 pick confers maximum trade leverage if the Browns want to exchange that pick for a ton of assets. The organization could truly start over, which it absolutely needs to do in the first place. If Green exceeds expectations, the Browns either keep him, knowing they will be able to use him and get production from him in 2027, or they can trade him with his open-market value having increased.
Yes, the most logical move for the Browns is to start Shedeur Sanders, which is looking like what they will in fact do. Starting Watson is a dead-end at this point, and Dillon Gabriel - who has already played live regular-season games for this team - hasn't done nearly enough to warrant QB1 consideration. Shedeur makes the most sense as Cleveland's starter in 2026, but Taylen Green - not Gabriel or Watson - is the second-most logical choice as starting quarterback for the Browns.
All of this reinforces how bad a look it is for Green to not get any snaps in his first two preseason games. Browns gonna Brown, as the kids might be saying right now.
