How Taylen Green could lead to Browns making wild Shedeur Sanders decision

As noted by Sean Keeler and Parker Gabriel of The Denver Post, Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders is once again the subject of trade rumors after Browns head coach Todd Monken named Deshaun Watson the team's Week 1 starter. 

Meanwhile, 2026 sixth-round draft pick Taylen Green and 2025 third-round draft pick Dillon Gabriel are expected to be the only Cleveland quarterbacks who play in the club's preseason finale versus the New England Patriots on Thursday night. During the latest edition of the "Orange and Brown Talk" podcast, Browns beat reporter Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer suggested the club won't risk exposing Green to waivers this coming Sunday. 

Browns likely couldn't stash Taylen Green on their practice squad

"My feeling on it is I would not risk putting him on waivers because some smart football coach is going to see that this young man can do something for you in a football game," Cabot said about Green. "Maybe even this year."

While Green is a raw prospect who probably shouldn't serve as a QB2 later this year, the 6-foot-6 signal-caller ran a 4.36-second 40-yard dash at this year's scouting combine. Theoretically, the Browns wouldn't need to keep him in their quarterback room to hand him a Week 1 roster spot. 

That said, Sanders may not have any long-term future with the Browns if team co-owner Jimmy Haslam is already dreaming of landing Texas Longhorns star Arch Manning in the 2027 NFL Draft. If it is also true that the Browns feel that "backup quarterbacks are supposed to be anonymous until they’re needed," the club could decide to head into Week 1 with a quarterback room occupied by Watson, Gabriel and Green.

Taylen Green has gifts that NFL teams can't teach

"I just can’t stop thinking about these physical traits with him that you cannot teach," Browns beat reporter Ashley Bastock of the Cleveland Plain Dealer added about Green during the podcast. "Like the size, it’s the speed, the jumping ability, all these things that are very raw traits that I think somebody is going to be able to work with."

Recent history shows that Browns general manager Andrew Berry isn't afraid to trade a quarterback at the end of a preseason who spent the summer competing for the club's QB1 job. Perhaps Berry could soon add Sanders' name to that list of traded players if a team calls the Browns about the 24-year-old's services.