Takeaways from Browns rookie minicamp Day 1 …
The new quarterback in town was hard to miss.
Taylen Green, the sixth-round pick from Arkansas, is an imposing 6-6, weighs 230 pounds, clocked a 4.36 40 at the NFL Combine, did a 43 ½ in. vertical leap, spins the ball effortlessly with a flick of the wrist, and accelerates on the run with each stride seemingly longer than the previous one.
“I really don’t think there’s anybody like me,” Green said after his first Browns practice. “I don’t know, like [being] cocky or anything, just, you know, [I have] some confidence. There’s nobody that moves like me that is as tall as me.”
I asked Green what current NFL quarterback would he compare himself to if he could reach his ultimate potential.
“I would say, of course, Lamar [Jackson], but, like, he ain’t 6-6. You know, Josh Allen is close, but I am 230; he’s like 260. I would say, I don’t know. My dad says [I’m] Randall Cunningham-ish.”
The Cunningham comp is interesting.
A second-round pick of the Eagles in 1985, Cunningham was a legendary, athletic freak, dual threat QB, 6-4 and 215 pounds, who could effortlessly flick the ball 60 yards and turn a broken play into a 60-yard TD run.
Green is a long way from being in the company of these athletic comps, however. He had 37 turnovers the last two years at Arkansas, including 17 lost fumbles.
“I just got to do a better job of securing the ball,” Green said. “You know, every single play, I have the responsibility to hold the ball or carry the ball. The ball is the team and the team is the ball. So just take more responsibility and be more aware of those things.”
Green took the bulk of snaps with the rookie version of the first-team offense, with Spencer Fano at left tackle, Parker Brailsford at center and Austin Barber at right tackle; with Joe Royer at tight end; and KC Concepcion and Denzel Boston at wide receiver.
“He operated the offense pretty well,” coach Todd Monken said. “I mean, for someone who hadn’t been a part of it. [His] eyes weren’t always in the right spot, but you can see a couple of times some of the things he can do with his feet when plays break down. So that’s exciting to see.”
Monken reaffirmed that coaches may get to the point of writing some special packages for Green down the line, probably as a Wildcat QB.
“Probably too early to tell that,” Monken said. “But I could say that – anybody with that kind of athleticism, I think should he progress in certain areas of his game, I think there would be a possibility of him, whether it’s short-yardage, you know, once you get in the low red zone, maybe some third down stuff that we could utilize.
“You can see from when he was at Boise [State] to then getting with Bobby Petrino and the guys at Arkansas, he’s come a long way. You can see that already, and there’s still a next jump that he can make. It’s exciting to have him out here and let him just play through some things.”
Fano a Fano
The Spencer Fano story as Browns No. 1 draft pick took on a new angle when the Browns added his older brother, Logan, a defensive end, as an undrafted free agent.
Logan, 23, is two years older than Spencer. He started at Brigham Young and transferred to Utah to join his brother in 2023.
“It’s so crazy,” Spencer said of the family reunion with the Browns. “It feels a lot like it was Utah, but then I look and see the freakin’ Browns jersey on. It’s so cool, so cool. Obviously, I’m freakin’ ecstatic, so excited to be with my brother.”
Logan’s athletic career has been stymied by three ACL injuries in seven years – two on his right knee.
“My goal was to get drafted,” Logan said. “It didn’t happen, but I’m fortunate to have this opportunity to continue playing and be with my brother. There’s no better situation I could ask for.”
As you might suspect, the Fano brothers are ultra competitive – and very close. They shared the interview podium after practice.
Logan said they’ve had “over a thousand” reps against each other in practice in their careers.
“All through high school, there was never a day we did not fight. I was the gritty little brother,” Spencer said.
“I’m the most lucky older brother in the world,” Logan said.
Those wide receivers
KC Concepcion and Denzel Boston – drafted back-to-back at No. 24 and No. 39 overall – spent a lot of time on the field together in 11-on-11 periods.
Green, for one, appreciated the complementary skills of the receivers.
“Denzel is, you know, he’s a big target … a long frame. It’s kind of hard to miss him,” Green said. “KC, he’s really quick out of his break. So I got to make sure I get my feet on the ground really quick. So they definitely make my job a lot easier man.”
Concepcion made the catch of the day, a leaping grab of a Green pass in the middle of the field.
“He got up on that and beat me in the vertical,” Green said.
Brownie bits
Concepcion had a routine arthroscopic knee procedure in March, but was cleared to practice and showed no signs of a problem. “We monitored him a little bit, but he was clear. He was good to go,” Monken said. “Knee looks great. We just want to make sure we get through basically this weekend and the first week. So, when the other guys get back and we’re able to go like we are today and see what we got.” …
Besides the 10 draft picks, the Browns had on hand 12 undrafted free agents, 25 players invited as tryouts, and one International player who will increase their roster to 91 and potentially their practice squad to 17 players …
Among the tryout players was six-year veteran receiver Jalen Reagor, a first-round pick of the Eagles in 2020 …
Monken practiced the rookies for 1 hour, 40 minutes. He said he was pleased that the 25 tryout players caught up to speed because they didn’t have the luxury of being prepped with Zoom calls earlier in the week and could not receive Ipods with the play sheet for the practice …
At the end of the day the Browns were awarded defensive tackle Elijah Chatman via waivers from the Giants.