CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Browns Rashard Higgins could hardly believe his good fortune earlier this month when he checked into a posh LA hotel, complete with chocolates on the pillow, all courtesy of Browns quarterback Tyrod Taylor.

Even his flight to LA for the pre-camp workouts organized by Taylor were paid for by the quarterback.

"Everything was beautiful,'' said Higgins. "I ate breakfast every day. It wasn't like I missed any meals. If I needed anything, I could come to Tyrod about it. I came late and he was like 'were you able to get in your hotel? If not, just contact my advisor and stuff.' Stuff like that.



"It's just amazing to know you've got a guy that cares so much about this game of football, and not only that, but his players to be taken care of as well, so it means a lot.''

Taylor, with some assistance from receiver Jarvis Landry, first organized workouts in the spring for his teammates in Fort Lauderdale, where Landry trains on a regular basis.

But after the veteran minicamp in June, with the long stretch until training camp ahead, Taylor wanted to get the players together so they'd be ready to hit the ground running when camp opened.

So he rented a house in LA, booked some rooms at a hotel, set up workouts at USC and UCLA, and put the call out to his teammates to join him -- all at his own expense.



"He put us all in a group message, and he asked us which guys would want to come down and that he would buy the flights, that he would have the rooms and stuff ready and he did just so,'' said Higgins. "If somebody asked him to get their stuff paid for, he paid.''





Higgins was one of a handful of players that took Taylor -- who's making $16 million guaranteed this year -- up on his generous offer. Others who attended the workouts were Duke Johnson, Jarvis Landry, Baker Mayfield, Corey Coleman, Seth DeValve, David Njoku, Da'mari Scott and Carlos Hyde.



"Tyrod paid for everything,'' said Johnson. "I love him. He's definitely a leader. As a veteran quarterback, he's definitely is what this team needs to get over this hump.''



After several days of high-intensity workouts, Taylor rewarded his teammates with a barbecue at his rented LA digs.



"It's the craziest thing I've ever seen,'' said Higgins. "The fact that a veteran quarterback would want to get with his guys in the offseason to build before camp even starts is just the most amazing thing that I've seen. In the past we haven't had things like that.''

Landry, a fifth-year pro, helped Taylor decide the right place and time for the workouts in LA. They settled upon the week of July 16th.



"We were trying to find some kind of way to get us together and where would it be and what's convenient for most guys, and we figured LA would be best around ESPY time and we made it work,'' said Landry.



Mayfield was up for an ESPY for Best College Athlete, which he ended up winning, and they felt it was a great way not only to get some workouts in, but to support the No. 1 overall pick at the annual awards show.



In addition to Taylor renting a house, Landry rented a mansion of his own high up in the Hollywood Hills near Runyon Canyon. With the money Landry makes (he's under contract with the Browns for five years, $75,500,000 and $47,000,000 guaranteed) he didn't take Taylor up on his offer, but appreciated it just the same.



"He paid for some receivers, some running backs, which is something that he didn't have to do,'' said Landry. "Again, it goes to show about his leadership and just trying to make sure that they guys are together and nobody feels left out or out of place and I think that was the biggest thing.''

Landry, who's developed amazing timing with Taylor already, believes the offseason workouts helped a lot.

"Even in those little moments, it helps build the chemistry and camaraderie and that's all the things that we're going for,'' said Landry. "When you know your brother and who you're going out on the field and fighting for, and you all have a personal relationship, it makes it that much easier to play that much harder. He's done a great job with that.''



Taylor, who also footed the bill for Bills players to work out in Atlanta last summer, led the workouts and helped the players assimilate offensive coordinator Todd Haley's new offense and terminology.



"We were throwing pitch and catch all day long,'' said Higgins. "He was calling plays out that we might've not remembered, so he was just like "run citizen and if you don't know what that is, run this.'' It was just a great time to be around our quarterback.''

Baker Mayfield: 'I'll never get my mind right to be a backup'



Quarterback Drew Stanton said Taylor's willingness to organize workouts started even before Florida in the spring and LA in the summer.



"The NFL doesn't make it easy for QBs to throw to receivers any time of the year of the year, so when we first got here and we were all getting on the same page, we had to go to Cleveland State, we had to go to Baldwin Wallace, we had to go offsite to throw and he did an unbelievable job of even organizing that,'' Stanton said. "And that's the beauty of Tyrod. He's not doing stuff to seek attention. He knows what it takes to win a Super Bowl. He's been on a Super Bowl team (with the Ravens).''



Taylor only smirked a little and wouldn't answer on Thursday when asked if he paid his teammates' travel expenses travel expenses for the sessions.



"We had a great time in L.A. working out,'' he said. "It was not about the cameras or anything. I just wanted to get everybody on the same page and get out there and get some work before we got back for training camp."



Stanton has been impressed with the starter's work ethic.



"He understands the urgency and the importance of being able to speed that learning curve up with different guys,'' he said. "You have to know if this guy comes out of a break a certain way. There's nuances that only can develop over a long period of time with somebody and he does a tremendous job of that, and he holds these guys accountable. ''



"For being a soft-spoken guy, he's very assertive when he needs to be and understands how to deal with guys differently.''



Stanton didn't know that Taylor was picking up the tab for so many guys, "but it wouldn't shock me whatsoever because he's as high a character guy as you'll find in this league.''



Taylor wasn't the only beneficiary of the extra time with his skill players. Mayfield and Higgins developed a special bond in part from the sessions.



"Me and Baker have a little chemistry going on right now and it's fun to watch,'' Higgins said.



Actually, the entire offense has a little extra mojo right now, in large part because of Uncle Tyrod's generosity.



"He wants it,'' said Johnson. "He wants it at all costs.''