TAMPA, FLA.: Jamar Taylor has gone from a bust with the Miami Dolphins to a projected starter for the Browns.
“I never really worry about what people say. I know I can play in this game,” Taylor said Tuesday after the Browns held a joint practice with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. “I’ve had teammates and coaches and vets who’ve made Pro Bowls and stuff tell me I’ve got what it takes. ... It’s definitely a blessing to be in this opportunity that I have right now, and I’m just trying to make the most of it.
Taylor has spent the past two practices working as the first-team cornerback opposite two-time Pro Bowler Joe Haden. He continued to strengthen his case to hold onto the job when he intercepted a pass from Bucs backup quarterback Mike Glennon that deflected off wide receiver Kenny Bell in an 11-on-11 period.
“I like Jamar’s game,” Haden said. “He’s really, really quick. He’s able to make very sudden movements and come out of his breaks extremely fast. He’s a smart player. He doesn’t just line up and go play. He kind of surveys.”
The key to Taylor’s stellar performances this summer has been keeping his eyes on his man and not letting them drift into the backfield.
“If I play with good eyes, then I’ll make plays,” he said. “I think last year sometimes when I was in Miami, we were playing so bad I just wanted to make a play, and it kind of puts you out of position. Where now, I’m not really worried about that. I’m just playing within the defense, just doing my job. I’m not trying to be Superman.”
Taylor had several setbacks with the Dolphins, who drafted him in the second round in 2013, because of injuries and drama behind the scenes. The Browns traded for him on April 30, the last day of the draft, and he’s made the most of his change of scenery thus far.
“My agent was like, ‘Just stick it out [in Miami]; you’ll be OK,’ ” Taylor said. “We knew that whoever got me, it was going to be because they wanted me, and we knew I just had to make the best out of the opportunity.
“It’s camp right now. The season is way different. You’re going against different guys. I want to be consistent. I don’t want to be up and down. I just want to keep climbing. If I keep climbing the ladder, I think I’ll be happy at the end of the season.”
He’s ascended to this point. He leapfrogged K’Waun Williams as the primary nickel cornerback, then Tramon Williams as the starter opposite Haden.
“I came in with intentions to play, and I think the coaches knew that,” Taylor said. “I told them that when I first got here.
“Tramon won a Super Bowl [with the Green Bay Packers]. Joe went to Pro Bowls. So they raise the bar for me.”
He’s been clearing the bar, too.
“He takes his job and his work and his family very, very serious,” Browns wide receiver Terrelle Pryor said. “It’s great to see. I was sitting in the sauna one day talking to him and just [realized] how focused the guy is. When I saw [he was starting], I wasn’t surprised because I just know the mindset he has and how great he wants to be and the way he lives his life.”
Takeaway fest
The Browns defense took its lumps at times against the Bucs, but it also had three interceptions.
Before Taylor claimed one, undrafted rookie inside linebacker Dominique Alexander jumped to pick off a pass from Glennon intended for wide receiver Donteea Dye over the middle in a seven-on-seven drill. And Haden intercepted a pass from starting quarterback Jameis Winston that inside linebacker Demario Davis deflected in an 11-on-11 session.
Haden’s takeaway left him hungry for more. He returned to practice Aug. 8 after undergoing ankle surgery March 16, and he’s expected to make his preseason debut Friday when the Browns face the Bucs beginning at 8 p.m. at Raymond James Stadium.
“It’s been a while. Just to be able to get an interception, that’s the goal,” Haden said. “Double D [Davis] got the tip. Now I just want to undercut a route and get it all on my own. But just being able to be out there with those guys and Double D making plays, it’s special, and it just felt really good to be back out there.”
The Browns’ takeaways obviously contributed to the dissatisfaction Bucs coach Dirk Koetter expressed about his offense.
“No juice, no juice,” Koetter said. “No one wanted to practice today.
“We had balls tipped, we had poor throws and we had bad protection. Bad combination.”
Staying healthy
Pryor, a former quarterback who changed positions last year, was hindered throughout training camp in 2015 because of a lingering hamstring injury.
This year, though, he’s been one of the Browns’ more dependable players. He’s even fought through a hand injury and fatigue in a calf.
“I just think I’m one of the hardest workers,” Pryor said. “I don’t think anybody’s going to outwork me. My offseason was fantastic.”
Pryor has even been riding his bicycle to recent practices in Berea. He has posted short video clips of the journeys on social media. He said it takes him about 15-20 minutes to ride his bike to team headquarters.
“I can get my legs loose a little bit, get cardio as well,” Pryor said. “You can never get enough cardio, especially off the two-day break we had [last week]. You’re going to get back into sweating a little bit before you get to work.”
Pryor’s dedication has helped him compile three catches for 107 yards and a touchdown in two preseason games.
“He has done a great job,” Browns coach Hue Jackson said. “Obviously, I’m very happy for Terrelle. The sky is the limit for him if he’ll keep working. We can never get complacent with any of those young guys, and he is a young guy playing in that position, even though he’s played in the National Football League at another position.
“He just can’t get complacent. He is very talented, but at the same time, I just know there is so much more in there for him. If he’ll keep working at it, who knows what that young man can be?”
Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the Browns blog at www.ohio.com/browns. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/NateUlrichABJ and on Facebook www.facebook.com/abj.sports.