The Cleveland Browns only won five games last season, but it was still a notable improvement from the three wins they had in 2024. As unimpressive as 5-12 may be, the Browns showed the beginning of a strong foundation last year thanks to GM Andrew Berry’s exceptional rookie class that landed Mason Graham, Quinshon Judkins, Carson Schwesinger, Harold Fannin Jr., Shedeur Sanders, and Dylan Sampson.
Nobody knows if the 2026 class can repeat that level of success, but early indications are that Berry once again came away from the draft with an impressive haul of talent. Much of the focus is on how big of an impact Spencer Fano, KC Concepcion, and Denzel Boston can make in year one, but one former player recently reminded the fans not to sleep on another high-upside late-round pick.
During a recent episode of BIGPLAY Cleveland, Phil Taylor spoke about how he’d love to see some packages on offense specifically designed for sixth-round rookie quarterback Taylen Green. The starting gig is still up for grabs between Shedeur Sanders and Deshaun Watson, but Green offers a completely different skill set due to his athleticism and could serve as an interesting weapon for Todd Monken.
“I feel like we’ll see some Taylen Green this year. They will have some packages. Why wouldn’t you? He’s 6’6 running a 4.3, why would you waste that on the sidelines?” Taylor said.
Will the Browns have packages designed for Taylen Green? #DawgPound
"Why wouldn't you? He's 6'6 running a 4.3, why would you waste that on the sidelines."
– @PhilTaylor98 https://t.co/BdktAIdZwo pic.twitter.com/qhj0aa4FLP
— BIGPLAY Cleveland (@BIGPLAYcle) June 16, 2026
It was before Monken’s tenure, but when Lamar Jackson was a rookie for the Baltimore Ravens, they deployed a few interesting packages just to get his explosive running ability on the field at times. It was a major contrast from Joe Flacco and kept the defense on its toes, and it wouldn’t be too surprising to see Monken do something similar with Green.
This offense wasn’t creative enough last season, but it also didn’t quite have the resources to do so. With Watson potentially returning, a new offensive line, some explosive weapons at receiver, and Green, there is no reason why the Browns should be one of the lowest-scoring teams in the NFL again.
If Green is starting at QB at any point this year, then this season went horribly wrong. He isn’t ready and Monken might view this as a redshirt season for him, but with that kind of explosiveness, it would be fun to see him under center for a couple plays a game. There’s a reason he ran for 35 touchdowns in college.
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