Jamar Taylor is willing to whatever — and he means, whatever — it takes to help the Browns next season.
"Whatever they want me to do, I'm going to do it," Taylor said last month.
"If they want me to be on special teams, they want me to be on offense, defense, whatever, O-Line, whatever, I'm going to do it. And if I don't know how to do it, I'm going to figure it out. So my plan coming in here is to listen, be coachable and go on the field and put it on tape."
To be sure, Taylor — the former Miami Dolphin who joined Cleveland's roster in April following a trade in the NFL Draft — said he wants to be a starter as the Browns break for the summer before reuniting for training camp July 29.
But he's also embracing something of a new beginning in Northeast Ohio under first-year coach Hue Jackson and a coaching staff that is working with clean slates on the players they'll lead in 2016.
"It's definitely a fresh start for me. For what I went through in Miami, it's all over. This is a great group of people here, a great organization, a great staff," Taylor said.
"Nobody knows me, I know nobody. It's just really new for me. It's definitely a fresh start, but it's a fresh start for everybody. None of the coaches really know a lot of these guys so everybody knows they just have to go put it on tape. You are who you put on tape and you are who you are around your teammates."
Jackson has said everybody on the roster has a clean slate. And Taylor is doing everything he can to prove his worth and secure a spot on the 53-man roster.
"Getting better, that's the ultimate goal right now … we're just trying to give the coaches something to think about when we leave here (for the summer)," Taylor said. "We've got a good group of guys here who are willing to work."
The Browns took to the field to finish the three-day veterans' minicamp.
Taylor — who was acquired in a trade with the Dolphins that included an exchange of seventh-round picks — said the move from South Florida to Cleveland has been a "whirlwind" of sorts as he and his family move to a new city and the talented corner learns a new playbook.
Taylor, a dynamic athlete who wowed scouts at the combine with his speed and quick feet, was drafted by Miami in the second round out of Boise State in 2013. He started nine games over three seasons with the Dolphins, including six last season. In 2015, he had his best season statistically, totaling 48 tackles and four pass breakups.
And now in Cleveland, Taylor is presented with the chance to make good on that "fresh start" with the help of the coaching staff and his teammates.
"The coaches welcomed me with open arms — so have the players — everybody in the DB group has been great, teaching me, helping me out, learning the playbook," he said.
"But my mindset is to come here and win. You know, help the team win and get Ws under our belt. That's my plan, to contribute the best way possible."
