Don't call him a bridge.
Introduced Thursday as Cleveland's newest quarterback, Tyrod Taylor made it crystal clear he doesn't plan to simply log a few starts before giving way to a fill-in-the-blank rookie passer.
"I don't necessarily view myself as a bridge quarterback. I'm a quarterback," Taylor told reporters. "As far as a bridge, hopefully I'm helping 'bridge' this team to a Super Bowl."
After Taylor spoke, coach Hue Jackson quickly backed his new pupil, saying: "He's going to be the starting quarterback. There is no competition."
It's the middle of March -- plenty can change -- but Jackson's words echo his message from the Combine, telling reporters he had no plans to start a rookie quarterback in 2018.
Taylor came to Cleveland through a surprise Friday trade that saw the Browns ship this year's 65th overall pick to Buffalo in return for the 28-year-old signal-caller.
No matter what the Browns do in the draft -- they're widely expected to grab a quarterback with the first- or fourth-overall selection -- Taylor would need to fall on his face to lose the job in 2018.
Taylor spoke emphatically about "walking in confident; letting guys know you're the guy," per Keith Britton of 92.3 FM in Cleveland. "That's what I plan on doing, [it] starts as soon as we get back April 16th."
Taylor spent years in Buffalo absorbing the slings and arrows of an organization that never fully backed him as their starter. He faces a similar challenge in Cleveland, where new general manager John Dorsey is tasked with finding a long-term answer at the most important position in sports.
There's a chance Taylor can emerge as exactly that, but the picture becomes cloudy as soon as the Browns add a big-name rookie arm -- something the football community fully expects them to do come the draft.
