The Cleveland Browns quarterback room is crowded and filled with more questions than actual answers. Quarterback Deshaun Watson is trying to revive what’s left of his career, while Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel are both fighting for a chance to start while potentially trying to keep their career arcs intact. Meanwhile, a rookie from Arkansas who was taken in this recent draft has somewhat thrown his hat into the ring of this quarterback room. Enter Taylen Green.
Green originally started his career
at Boise State, where he spent two years with the Broncos before eventually transferring to Arkansas for the remainder of his collegiate career. The one thing that stands out about Green is his athletic profile. 6’6, 227 lbs. If there is one thing that Green has that most, if not all, NFL GM’s like in terms of quarterbacks is the rare athletic profile. One of the reasons why teams loved Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen coming out of school is because of his athletic profile, as well as his uber-talented arm.
Green isn’t in the same stratosphere as Allen, but he put on a show during the NFL Combine this past February.
He has the physical makeup, but in terms of the quarterback position, he is a project. His footwork is a work in progress, and he needs to work on going through his progressions. Green also has a tendency (similar to Sanders) to go big play hunting instead of taking the easy plays that are given to him. Green isn’t like most projects in terms of his starts (he started over 46 games in college), but he has key areas that he has to work on if he wants to find a path in the NFL as a quarterback.
The things mentioned earlier are all things that Green can improve with time. In terms of his footwork, he has to learn how to quiet his feet and improve upon his lower body mechanics. He also needs to work on his accuracy in terms of hitting the short throws.
Green has immense upside as a runner and could be used in RPO situations, which this Browns offense will utilize. Green has a path to making the roster, and it’s unlikely he clears waivers if the Browns choose to cut him. If Cleveland has to choose between either Gabriel or Green, it’s likely Green makes the roster. Gabriel might be further in terms of the mental makeup of playing quarterback, but Gabriel’s skillset doesn’t translate to the current iteration of this Browns offense.
No one is in a rush to see Green play right away, but there is a path for him to be on this roster as QB3 and potentially develop into something more if the team chooses to stick with him.
