Cleveland Browns coach Todd Monken left open the possibility Monday that rookie Taylen Green will have a specialized package of plays in the season opener, a scenario that could push Shedeur Sanders into emergency quarterback duty against Jacksonville.
Asked whether the sixth-round pick might get designed snaps to take advantage of his size and speed, Monken did not shut the idea down.
“Could be. There could be a package where we have him,” Monken said.
That answer immediately raised a roster question for Sunday. Green cannot take those snaps unless he is one of the two active quarterbacks. Under the NFL’s emergency quarterback rule, a designated third quarterback can enter only if both active passers are out because of injury or disqualification.
Monken made clear that dressing three quarterbacks is not his first choice.
“If we could afford it, it would be nice to have five or six quarterbacks up,” Monken said. “But three is a lot.”
If Cleveland lists Deshaun Watson and Green as the two active quarterbacks, Sanders would likely stand on the sideline in street clothes as the emergency option. The Browns could still activate all three, but doing so would cost them a game-day spot at another position.
Monken later added that using Green remains only a possibility.
“I know that’s the word — possibly,” he said. “It’s possible that we could use him in that.”
Green earned a spot on the 53-man roster after limited practice work and just one preseason appearance. In the finale against New England, he completed five of seven passes for 27 yards and led the team with 66 rushing yards on eight carries. His biggest play came when he escaped a potential safety and broke free for 30 yards, helping spark a 98-yard touchdown drive.
The Arkansas product ran a 4.36-second 40-yard dash at the NFL combine, the fastest time recorded by a quarterback there since at least 2003. At 6-foot-6 and 230 pounds, he gives Cleveland a size-speed mix the other quarterbacks cannot match.
“It didn’t surprise me, because that’s what you saw when you evaluated him for the draft,” Monken said after Green’s debut. “A player that has got elite size, speed and arm talent.”
Coaches also praised how quickly Green processed the offense despite few live repetitions.
“That doesn’t happen if he isn’t diligent, if he isn’t unbelievable in terms of getting mental reps, because he didn’t get a ton of the physical reps,” Monken said after Green made the initial roster. “We were impressed with his ability to handle information, operate on the field, and make the plays that he made.”
A limited package would let Cleveland use that explosiveness in the wildcat or other short-yardage and gadget looks without asking Green to run the entire offense.
That should not be mistaken for Green passing Sanders as the next man up. Sanders was the other finalist for the starting job, and Monken described the choice between him and Watson as close. When Watson won the job, Monken said the decision was not meant to be reviewed week by week, though every player still has to keep earning his role.
Sanders started seven games last season and went 3-4. He completed 56.6% of his passes for 1,400 yards, seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions. If Watson struggles or gets hurt, Sanders remains the more prepared option to handle a full game plan.
Watson’s availability has been an issue throughout his Cleveland tenure. He has appeared in 19 regular-season games for the Browns over four seasons, a history that makes the Week 1 quarterback math more complicated than usual.
Cleveland opens with road games at Jacksonville and Tampa Bay before hosting Carolina in Week 3. The early schedule could put pressure on Watson quickly if the offense sputters.
For now, the Browns appear to be treating Green as a situational weapon and Sanders as the true backup. One is built to steal a handful of explosive snaps. The other is built to take over if the starter cannot finish the game.
Jacksonville will have to account for both possibilities Sunday, even if only one of those young quarterbacks is active when the ball is snapped.
