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Taylen Green #15 of the Cleveland Browns

The Cleveland Browns took a sixth-round flier on one of the most athletic collegiate quarterbacks in recent memory when they drafted Taylen Green out of Arkansas with the No. 182 overall pick, and the rookie intends on making his NFL bones at the game’s most important position.

Considerable discussion, both nationally and locally, around Green has involved whether the Browns will/should move him to a new position. Wide receiver comes immediately to mind, given his history as a quarterback and how his understanding of the game from under center could translate well into a passing target.

Beyond that, Green is nearly six-feet, six-inches tall and weighs 227 pounds. He ran a blazing 4.36-second 40-yard dash at the Combine and logged a vertical leap of 43.5 inches. All told, his athleticism score at the league-wide event in late February ended up first among all signal-callers.

But Green spoke earlier this week about his lack of interest in changing positions, even despite the lack of belief in him as a QB that is seemingly pouring in from all directions.

“In high school, people told me to switch positions or go to basketball. As you can see, I’m tall, lengthy. I’ve been dealing with that all my life,” Green said. “I have a deep belief in myself that I’m a quarterback.”

Taylen Green Could See Snaps as QB1 for Browns Next Season in Multiple Scenarios

GettyCleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders.

Green’s situation heading into his first professional campaign is unique.

He joins two second-year players in Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders, whom the team drafted in Rounds 3 and 5, respectively, last year. Then there is Deshaun Watson, a veteran in his early 30s with three Pro Bowls on his resumé, who nevertheless hasn’t played at all for a season and a half, and hasn’t played well in six years.

Sanders and Watson have the edge for the starting role as training camp approaches, but despite lip service from the front office and new head coach Todd Monken, most analysts believe whichever QB wins the job is operating as a placeholder for one year before the organization selects its franchise player in the 2027 draft.

That could provide an opportunity for Green to get snaps in 2026 if he shows enough throughout camp and the regular season. If Watson or Sanders looks capable of leading Cleveland to the playoffs, Green’s odds of playing plummet. However, if they are both awful and/or one, or both, battles injuries, then Green could make a couple of starts.

Cleveland Could Be Incentivized to Start Taylen Green Late in Year

There is also the scenario in which the Browns have four or five wins in mid-December, the postseason is already off the table and it’s clear the team is going to prioritize a rookie QB in 2027.

In that case, the Browns affording Green an opportunity simultaneously accomplishes multiple things.

First, it allows them to assess what they have in the rookie/his viability as a QB moving forward. Second, it allows Green to showcase his talents and potentially create some trade value down the road. Finally, it probably keeps Cleveland’s win total low enough to get the highest draft pick possible.

Across four years as a collegiate starter, two at Boise State and two at Arkansas, Green tallied nearly 9,700 passing yards, 59 TDs and 35 INTs. He also rushed for 2,403 yards and 35 scores.