ESPN released its full slate of 2026 team previews this week, breaking down every roster in the league with strengths, concerns, and one bold prediction apiece. Cleveland landed at No. 30 overall in the power rankings, with the Football Power Index projecting just 5.8 wins and only a 5.4 percent chance of making the playoffs. Buried within that larger breakdown, though, was an eye-catching call from ESPN’s Seth Walder regarding Cleveland’s quarterback. Walder made a bold prediction about Taylen Green, saying the sixth-round rookie will start at least 4 games this season.
“Quarterback Taylen Green will start at least 4 games. Perhaps there’s no fourth string player with an easier path to playing time than Green, a sixth round pick out of Arkansas. I’m bearish on Watson, Sanders and Gabriel, so by the time the end of the season rolls around, I suspect the Browns will want to see if they have anything in Green,” Walder wrote.
Watson is returning after a 22-month layoff from game action following a torn right Achilles tendon, and the last time he took the field in 2024, he posted a QBR of 21, the lowest mark in the league among quarterbacks with at least 5 starts. Making matters worse, the 2 lowest QBRs among all qualifying passers in 2025 belonged to Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel, the very players behind Watson on Cleveland’s depth chart. That kind of instability makes Walder’s prediction about Green not far-fetched.
Green’s combination of size, athleticism and reportedly meticulous preparation habits has already generated buzz internally, giving some credibility to the idea that the coaching staff might genuinely want to find out what they have in him before the season ends.
Whether Walder’s prediction about Green ultimately comes true will depend heavily on how the season plays out, but it adds an intriguing subplot for Browns fans to track as the season unfolds.
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