QB Taylen Green (8.31.26)
What was your reaction to making the 53? Where were you when you found out, and how did you find out and how did you feel about it?
“It’s definitely a blessing. It’s a dream come true. I just woke up, went to church, then was enjoying my day off. I didn’t get a call or a text to come in, so I was just excited and saw the post. I had a lot of family and friends text me and stuff, and it was exciting for me.”
How special is it that this group of quarterbacks that you’ve got to know and go through practice with the last couple of months will all still be here in some way, shape or form?
“It means a lot, not just to me, but to the whole quarterback room. Deshaun’s (Watson) starting, we can all help Deshaun with our different perspectives on how we see the game. Now we’ve got to focus on Jacksonville and put up points and to hopefully win. We’re going to do our best as a collective quarterback group to get him and ourselves ready for the game.”
So, you did not get a call? Is that ‘no news is good news?’
“Look, this is my first time, so I don’t know. I hope that’s good news.”
As you get into the regular season, obviously the snaps are focused on Deshaun or whoever is starting. How do you develop yourself when you’re not getting necessarily the snaps you were getting in training camp?
“Just continue to do what I’m doing. I didn’t get a lot in training camp, but I still have some mental reps and just be behind Deshaun or Shedeur (Sanders), whoever’s going and I’m taking the snap. I just continue to ask questions and I’m in a great quarterback room and have a lot of knowledge, so continue to ask questions there and I keep asking my coaches questions. I know they have what they call a ‘hungry dawgs period’ to get extra reps in those periods.”
When you think about how you’ve improved from when they drafted you until that preseason game on Thursday night, what is the highlight for you?
“I would just say, honestly, the biggest thing is the amount of detail that not only I put on myself, but what the coaches put on ourselves. I don’t have class or anything anymore, so just really my job is football, and that’s my dream. I would really say just the amount of detail and preparation you have to put into it, not just getting ready for a game, but every single day and every single practice. You’ve got to prepare and act like you’re the starter and you’re going to get reps, because you never know when your number is going to get called.”
Was it a surprise at all for you when you found out?
“To be honest, I didn’t really know what to expect. I just really put it in God’s hands and at the same time, it’s all up to him.”
Do you think in red zone situations, close to the goal line, you’re unstoppable?
“I try to be. I try to be the most versatile player I can be. If they’re going to try to stop me with my legs, I’m going to throw it. If they’re going to try to stop me throwing, I’m going to run it. So, that’s our job is to first take care of the ball, not turn it over, not take sacks, and put points on the board. So, whatever I have to do in those situations.”
Has Coach (Todd) Monken talked about using you in those situations? I know it’s come up a bunch last time, he said he didn’t know yet, but now that we’re two weeks from the season, has he talked to you about using you in that way?
“No, not yet. It’s the first day out of the 53, so we’re still just taking it day by day.”
When you look at the next four weeks, we know Dillon (Gabriel) is going to be on IR for at least four games. Do you think this is an opportunity for you to do everything that you possibly can to show them that you deserve to be the number three quarterback even when he’s healthy?
“Every single day is an opportunity. Yeah, he’s on IR, but he’s pushing me, too, and I’m pushing him. So yeah, it’s an opportunity to show what I can do, but at the same time, I just continue to control what I can control, and just take it day by day, and continue to prepare like I’m starting.”
I know there’s not school to worry about, but I’m sure there’s still plenty of studying for you. What does your process look like in the building, and away from this building when you’re off the field?
“Oh, you’re talking about like at practice tomorrow and what I’m doing?”
Your personal process of getting ready and staying ready off the football field.
“Normally after we get out of practice, I normally take like 30 minutes to 45 minutes to myself. No football or nothing, watch some TV, eat something. Then after that, I normally go to my whiteboard, we have our script up and go through every single play and write it until I can’t get it wrong. After that, I do a mini walkthrough in my room, it’s kind of spacious, I appreciate the Browns. Just doing that and then I got to call wifey. She helps me prepare for the next day. I continue to do that day in and day out, and in the morning, we have a walkthrough period as well, so just continue to do that.”
You finally got game film to be able break down and assess your performance. What were you able to take away from watching the second half of the Patriots game?
“Cleaning up a little bit of my footwork, speeding up my read a little bit, eliminating some routes. Like if they’re in a certain coverage, I don’t have to go one, two, three, I know my first read’s not going to be there. Just talking through those things, and really, ball security too, I kind of like swing it. So, I would say those three things.”
KC (Concepcion Jr.) said you almost single-handedly beat him in college. What do you remember from that game?
“First, there was a lightning delay, it felt like a tornado or something, I didn’t even know he was going to play that game. But I remember him scoring and running up and down the field, making my job harder, and I remember thinking I’ve got to score again. He’s a great player, really versatile, and with the ball in his hands he’s going to do something special with it. Clearly, you’ve all seen that in the preseason and training camp. I’m just excited he’s on my team now, we’re both on the same team rather than on two different sides of the ball.”
Do you feel like it won’t be too terribly difficult for you to tighten up your windup or your release and get the ball out as fast as you need to, especially on some of the shorter throws?
“No, I don’t think that’s going to be really that difficult. It’s just building the habit and continuing to work on it. I’ve got long arms, I’ve got long legs, long levers, so of course my throwing motion isn’t going to look like a shorter quarterback’s, of course it’s not because I’ve got longer limbs. I’ve got to use what God’s blessed me with. I can see over the line, I can make some off-angle, off-platform throws, so just using those things to help that. If that makes sense.”
Speaking of using what God gave you, that play on Thursday night when you were in the end zone you rolled left and turned it into a 30-yard scramble. Some coaches would say get rid of the ball. How does your clock maybe change given that you’re bigger than those people and faster than those people, if at all?
“There’s definitely times it’s bitten me in the butt. I’ve got to limit those things, and those are things I’m continuing to learn. I’m grateful that I trusted my instincts on that play and made a play out of nothing, but sometimes the best play is to throw it away, the best play is to take care of the football. So, just continuing to learn and grow in those aspects, and I felt like I did a better job of it last Thursday rather than in college, I’d have a negative-20-yard play and then make it up with a 40-yard play. Those are things I’m continuing to develop and grow with.”
At rookie minicamp, you said dad he said you played like Randall Cunningham?
“Yeah, my dad, he’s always said I play like Randall. He had me watch his highlights when I was younger. I agree with him. I can see it. That’s not a bad comparison. I’m not mad about it.”
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