Jamar Taylor, Browns Agree to New Contract: Latest Details, Comments, Reaction

The Cleveland Browns agreed to a three-year, $15 million extension with cornerback Jamar Taylor, according to NFL Media's Mike Garafolo. The Browns confirmed the contract Saturday afternoon.

Sashi Brown, the team's executive vice president of football operations, provided a statement:

"

Jamar has been a really good addition to our secondary and we are happy to come to an agreement with him on an extension. He's an extremely hard worker and has shown true perseverance throughout his NFL career. His veteran presence and flexible skill set that allows him to function at nickel and corner has proved to be a valuable asset to our team. Jamar is a solid performer that has made some nice plays for us over the course of season and we look forward to him contributing to Browns victories in the future.

"

Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com reported Taylor will receive a $3 million signing bonus and a little over $10 million comes in the first two years. 

Taylor was in the final year of his deal with Cleveland, and his extension is a significant pay raise over the $899,475 he's scheduled to earn for 2016, per Over the Cap.

On the whole, this season has been a disaster for the Browns. They're four games away from being the second team in NFL history to go 0-16.

Taylor, however, is one of the few things to go right for Cleveland.

The 26-year-old largely underwhelmed during his first three seasons with the Miami Dolphins, who selected him in the second round of the 2013 draft. Illustrating how low his stock was at the time, the Browns acquired Taylor in April after trading seventh-round picks with Miami.

Taylor has since gone from an afterthought to a key member of Cleveland's secondary. He has 40 combined tackles and two interceptions in 11 games.

In October, The MMQB's Andy Benoit wrote Taylor hadn't completely ironed out the flaws in his game:

"

Jamar Taylor still makes too many bizarre mistakes to be considered trustworthy. (His blown coverage in Week 2 against the Ravens on Mike Wallace’s 17-yard touchdown took the cake. Clearly unaware of the coverage call, Taylor appeared to hedge not by guessing a coverage and playing that, but rather, playing one that didn’t exist. It would have been a blown coverage regardless of what D coordinator Ray Horton actually called.) But, Taylor has settled down the past few weeks, and his game against the Jets on Sunday was the best of his career.

"

Taylor's presence hasn't stabilized the Browns pass defense, either. Cleveland is allowing 259 yards per game through the air (22nd) but sits 32nd in opponent passer rating (103.6). Football Outsiders also ranks the Browns 31st in pass defense DVOA (defense-adjusted value over average).

Still, re-signing Taylor is a smart move. The defense's problems go beyond him, and $15 million over three years isn't a large sum to pay a starting cornerback.

As ESPN.com's Tony Grossi tweeted, keeping Taylor also provides flexibility should the Browns want to move Joe Haden:

Haden was among a few names thrown out as potential trade candidates ahead of the Nov. 1 deadline, with ESPN's Ed Werder reporting the New Orleans Saints showed some interest before backing out.

The Browns could deal Haden in the offseason, and Tramon Williams is 33 years old with just one more year left on his current contract.

Keeping Taylor for the next three years will provide some much-needed stability to Cleveland's secondary.