Bold predictions are designed to look unlikely when they are made. The best ones take a calculated risk on a scenario few people see coming, and they are judged on whether they hold up as the season unfolds. Some fall apart within weeks, while others stay alive longer than expected. One national analyst is sticking with a particularly bold call about the Browns’ quarterback room.
Seth Walder of ESPN revisited his preseason predictions for all 32 teams, including one where he predicts that Taylen Green will start at least 4 games.
“Original prediction: Quarterback Taylen Green will start at least four games. Why there’s still a chance: The odds have dropped. I had figured the Browns would already be on to Shedeur Sanders by this point. Even though Deshaun Watson hasn’t been quite as bad as expected, I still think that the Browns will make the move to Sanders relatively soon and that an end-of-year stint for Green remains in play,” Walder wrote.
He expected the Browns to move on from Deshaun Watson early in the season, turn to Shedeur Sanders and eventually give rookie Taylen Green a look late in the year.
Watson has thrown a wrench into that timeline. Despite the 34-10 loss in the opener, he led 3 straight game-winning drives and has the Browns at 3-2.
Walder admitted the odds have dropped, but his reasoning still holds some logic. Watson is in the final year of his contract, and if the Browns fall out of the playoff race, the coaching staff may want to evaluate its young quarterbacks before making decisions about 2027.
Green would be an intriguing player to evaluate. The 6th-round pick out of Arkansas stands 6-foot-6 and brings rare size and athleticism to the position, the type of tools that make teams willing to take a chance on a developing quarterback.
His spot on the 53-man roster is already a sign of how much the Browns value him. It has been reported that the team would prefer to keep all 4 quarterbacks rather than risk losing Green by exposing him to waivers.
Still, the path to 4 starts is crowded. Sanders sits ahead of him on the depth chart, and Dillon Gabriel, a 3rd-round pick in 2025, is back at practice after opening the season on injured reserve. For Green to start, the Browns would likely need to be out of contention and willing to look past both.
Sanders’ decision to hire an agent adds another layer. If he is traded before the November 10 deadline, the path for Green and Gabriel could open up sooner than expected.
NEXT: New Mock Draft Gives The Browns A Surprising Quarterback
