Preseason is officially in the books and Cleveland Browns fans can now get excited for Week 1 at the Jacksonville Jaguars. The subpar performances from the quarterback room definitely threw a wet blanket on the excitement level, but there is a lot of young talent on this team and perhaps there’s a chance Deshaun Watson can surprise some people as the starting quarterback.
Dillon Gabriel had a great first half against the New England Patriots on Thursday with three touchdown passes in what could have been his final time wearing a Browns uniform. The Browns can’t keep four quarterbacks on the active roster, so Gabriel could be on the move, especially because the analytics support the fact that another young QB has done an excellent job so far this preseason.
PFF shared the Browns QBs’ offensive grades from preseason, and sitting atop the list at 78 is rookie sixth-rounder Taylen Green. Gabriel somehow ranked last with just a 44 grade despite the three-TD performance the other day, while Sanders and Watson ranked second and third.
“Offensive Grades of Browns QBs this preseason: Taylen Green 78.0, Shedeur Sanders 72.2, Deshaun Watson 61.3, Dillon Gabriel 44.0,” said PFF.
Offensive Grades of Browns QBs this preseason
Taylen Green 78.0
Shedeur Sanders 72.2
Deshaun Watson 61.3
Dillon Gabriel 44.0 pic.twitter.com/8yY68W3glA— PFF (@PFF) August 29, 2026
Green looked electric against New England and showed exactly why GM Andrew Berry took a shot on him in the sixth round. He won’t see the field this season unless a lot of things go wrong, but he’s going to be an intriguing prospect for new head coach Todd Monken to work with and potentially develop into something special.
Turnovers have been an issue all throughout camp and preseason for this QB room, as Sanders and Watson both turned the ball over in each game they played. However, Green didn’t turn it over in his preseason debut on Thursday, completing five of seven passes for 27 yards and running eight times for 66 yards.
It was a strong first impression from the rookie, and while he remains little more than a Hail Mary attempt from this front office and coaching staff, it’s obvious that the talent is there. Let’s see what he can become after he spends a year or two marinating on the bench.
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