Todd Monken didn’t exactly slam the door on a strange Browns quarterback wrinkle Monday, and that alone is enough to keep Shedeur Sanders’ situation in focus.
Asked about the possibility of using sixth-round rookie Taylen Green in a game-day package against the Jaguars in Week 1, Monken left the idea hanging out there.
“Could be. There could be a package where we have him.”
When the conversation shifted to the possibility of the Browns carrying three quarterbacks on game day, Monken again kept Green in the mix.
“That’s the word ‘possibly.’ It’s possible that we could use him in that.”
That doesn’t mean Sanders is suddenly on the verge of losing his spot as Deshaun Watson’s backup. But Monken’s comments did open the door a crack, and in Cleveland, even a crack gets attention.
Watson has already been named the Browns’ starter for Week 1 in late August, ending Sanders’ push for the top job. Sanders had spent the second half of last season helping Cleveland to three wins and picked up a surprising Pro Bowl nod along the way, but he’s back on the bench now.
The bigger wrinkle is Watson’s health and the Browns’ caution around it. He’s set to play his first official game since October of 2024 after returning from back-to-back Achilles’ tears. Cleveland also has plenty of reason to be careful given his injury history with the team, which includes time missed because of a rotator cuff tear and a scapula fracture.
Green’s path to anything meaningful on game day has been limited by how the offseason unfolded. He spent the entire offseason as the fourth quarterback on the depth chart, behind Watson, Sanders and Dillon Gabriel, which meant he didn’t get the same practice reps while Watson and Sanders battled for the starting job.
The Browns are carrying four quarterbacks to start the season, with Gabriel on injured reserve with designation to return. That leaves Green as the third option for now.
But making Sanders the emergency quarterback would keep him off the field unless Watson and Green both got hurt in the same game. Going with three active quarterbacks would also mean taking away a spot from another position.
So the question becomes simple enough: does Cleveland really need a Green package badly enough to pass on Sanders as the backup, or to give up depth somewhere else? And how much can Green realistically do with such limited practice work, even with weapons like Denzel Boston, KC Concepcion, Harold Fannin Jr., Jerry Jeudy, Quinshon Judkins and Dylan Sampson around him?
For now, Monken’s answer sounds a lot like standard coachspeak - the kind that leaves every possibility alive without committing to any of them.
Still, this is the Browns. They turned Watson from a “swing and a miss” into the new/old “starting quarterback” in a matter of months, so at least for now, nothing feels completely out of bounds.
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Browns QB Pressure Is Building Faster Than Fans Expected
With Week 1 approaching, the Browns quarterback conversation is already drifting well beyond the usual backup chatter. Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com has been weighing the possibilities behind Deshaun Watson, including rookie Taylen Green as a candidate for QB2 and the chance that Shedeur Sanders could wind up inactive when the season opens.
Watson is still the starter, but the early part of the schedule is going to shape how long that remains unquestioned. The larger intrigue is what happens if the offense stumbles out of the gate, because Cabots reporting suggests Sanders could become part of the mix sooner rather than later if Watson does not deliver early. [Read more 🡒]
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For Cleveland, the decision also adds another layer to an offseason that has already sparked questions about how the team balances proven experience against the upside of younger players. Coats showed enough in the summer to at least put himself in the conversation, so moving him off the main roster suggests the Browns still see something different in how they want that spot handled. Whether this is a short-term reset or a sign of where the staff is leaning with its developmental priorities is the part that will keep fans watching closely. [Read more 🡒]
Browns Have 3 Defensive Starters Berry Should Lock In Now
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Among the names worth watching are Maliek Collins, Ronnie Hickman and Isaiah McGuire, three starters whose futures could soon come into focus. Cleveland does not need to rush every decision, but the front office has the flexibility to start getting ahead of the market now rather than waiting until the offseason gets crowded. For a team trying to keep its defensive core intact, these are the kinds of extensions that can shape the next phase of the roster. [Read more 🡒]