Taven Bryan already loves Cleveland Browns fans and finds Northeast Ohio weather appealing

BEREA — When a notary visited Taven Bryan this offseason at his home in Cleveland's Tremont neighborhood, the defensive tackle received a taste of how passionate and knowledgeable Browns fans can be.

An appointment made so Bryan could finalize paperwork for the sale of his house in Jacksonville, Florida, turned into a detailed football discussion.

“He started talking about the D-line, gaps, scheme, all kinds of stuff — like he's a 30-year coach or something — but that's like everybody here. It's pretty cool how in depth they are with the Browns,” Bryan told the Beacon Journal on Wednesday before the first full-squad practice of training camp.

“You meet the fans every day, and you've got to love them because they're definitely fanatics. You just hear the story of the Cleveland Browns and their fans and all the stuff they do. They're crazy, but like a good crazy.”

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In Bryan's book, regularly interacting with rabid fans is a perk of signing a one-year contract with the Browns in March worth as much as $5 million, including incentives.

Believe it or not, Bryan insists Cleveland's weather also appeals to him.

“It's obviously nice to go to a place that's kind of cooler,” Bryan said. “I'm from the cold, so this was pretty nice. I like the team. I did my research on them. I asked about them. Everybody has friends on every team — nothing but good reviews, so I thought it would be a good place to go.”

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Bryan was born and raised in Casper, Wyoming, but adjusted to a much different climate while playing football for the University of Florida, then the Jacksonville Jaguars, who drafted him in the first round (No. 29 overall) in 2018.

The winter wind whipping through FirstEnergy Stadium on downtown Cleveland's lakefront shouldn't faze Bryan. He was nicknamed “Wyoming Wildman” by former Florida defensive line coach Chris Rumph, who's now with the Minnesota Vikings in the same capacity. As an NFL rookie, Bryan had the moniker trademarked.

“It's windy [in Casper],” Bryan said. “That's probably the No. 1 thing. It gets cold there, too. But it's just windy all the time. I remember my first hurricane in Florida. I was like, 'Yeah, this ain't that bad a wind.'”

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Keep in mind Bryan was raised to be as tough as the nails he's been using to build a recreational vehicle park in Lander, Wyoming.

His father, Brandy, who served as a Navy SEAL from 1990-94, owned a concrete business and had his son helping with construction work since he was about 9 years old.

Bryan, whose middle name is Coal, spent much of his six-week break between the Browns' June 14-16 mandatory minicamp and training camp working with his dad and brother-in-law on the RV park he purchased. The park will feature 10 cabins and a shower house with a laundromat, Bryan said, and it's near a popular route to Yellowstone National Park.

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Bryan, 6 feet, 5 inches and listed as 291 pounds, started playing football at a young age and became an accomplished wrestler and a state champion discus thrower in track and field.

“My dad lied to me, though,” Bryan said. “He said I could either play sports or work, and he just made me go to work afterward.”

Bryan, 26, added his dad is “a good dude, a pretty hardcore guy” who hoped the Browns would draft him four years ago.

“That's where he wanted to go,” Bryan said. “He just likes the city.”

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Bryan's father is pushing him “all the time” to be his best, he said. Bryan believes he has yet to reach his potential as an NFL player.

“There's a lot more to go,” he said. “Just like with anything, you've got to work on it and whatnot, but I feel like there's a lot there.”

With the Jaguars, Bryan started 17 of the 63 games in which he appeared the past four seasons, compiling 86 tackles, 5½ sacks, 15 quarterback hits, a forced fumble and one pass defensed. Last season, he played 15 games without a start, logging 27% of the defensive snaps and tallying 15 tackles, two sacks and eight quarterback hits.

Last season, Bryan received an overall grade of 56.4 from ProFootballFocus.com, the lowest of his NFL career. More than 110 interior defensive linemen finished with better grades.

Browns defensive line coach Chris Kiffin detects a determination to rebound from Bryan.

“Taven's a guy who's locked in,” Kiffin said Saturday. “He's ready to come to work. He took his time off in the summer [and] came back in great shape. He's ready to roll. I think a lot of guys in situations like that where you go to your second team kind of on a prove-it deal, I think they're very motivated. He's showing me he is motivated. I've enjoyed working with him. He's a scheme fit for us. We're excited to plug him in and see what he can do.”

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Bryan has been practicing with the Browns as the starting three-technique on the defensive line, but he said he can play nose tackle, too. The competition at both D-tackle spots appears to be wide open, and it will intensify when padded practices begin Tuesday.

Jordan Elliott has lined up alongside Bryan for the first-team defense through spring practices and the early stages of training camp, but rookie fourth-round draft pick Perrion Winfrey, Sheldon Day and Tommy Togiai are other names to watch in the position battle.

“With the NFL, nothing's really given to you, so we'll see how things go,” Bryan said, “but I'm really looking forward to it.”

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Bryan is especially eager to play between standout defensive ends Myles Garrett and Jadeveon Clowney.

“Dude's yoked,” Bryan said of Garrett, a two-time All-Pro selection. “You seen him?

“Jadeveon Clowney is obviously a beast.”

“It's going to be good for me. You've got two guys on the end that are great pass rushers. The nose is going to be good. So [offenses] kind of got to pick who they're going to double.”

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Garrett pointed out developing chemistry with interior defensive linemen is "necessary" for edge defenders.

“When you see some of the best defensive ends or outside linebackers, it’s because their inside is getting a lot of pressures," Garrett said Wednesday. “Their inside linemen are causing the quarterback to either step back or not be able to step up, and that’s when you see a lot of guys either beating the guy inside and like walking right into him, or pinning the edge at 5, 6 yards and the quarterback’s still standing right there.

“So knowing what he’s going to do, where he’s going to be at, he’s applying constant pressure, or knowing that they can’t run the ball up the middle because those two [defensive tackles] are holding it down, it’s a weight off my shoulders.”

Cleveland's coaching staff attracted Bryan, too. He remembers talking to Browns defensive coordinator Joe Woods at the NFL Scouting Combine in 2018, when the coach held the same job with the Denver Broncos.

“I remember evaluating him when I was at Denver,” Woods said in June, “and I know he was our No. 1 defensive lineman coming out.”

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Bryan said the type of four-man front Woods deploys complements his skill set.

“Just my play style, I'm more of a get-off guy,” Bryan said. “It's a lot better for me if I hit somebody first. I really like the get-off style. I like being aggressive. The more you think, the more chances for mistakes. If you just play, you play better.”

Now it's up to Bryan to capitalize on his opportunity, and he knows those die-hard Browns fans he's embracing will monitor all of the developments while he fights to become a factor.

Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com.

On Twitter: @ByNateUlrich.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Browns tackle Taven Bryan senses good fit with Cleveland