JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- It took a bit to get over the surprise of being traded, but once that happened cornerback Greg Newsome II was struck by a realization: He just went from worst to first.
Newsome went from the 1-4 Cleveland Browns to the 4-1 Jacksonville Jaguars, who are tied with five other teams for the best record in the NFL.
"Obviously in Cleveland, you're sitting there mad: 'We've got to find a way, we've got to find a way,'" Newsome said Friday afternoon in his first public comments since Wednesday night's trade. "And then when I get here I'm like, 'Wow, we just won.' Obviously I didn't play, but we just won. So, yeah, it feels amazing.
"I'm just going to try to do my best to help them keep this upward trend up."
He'll get a chance on Sunday because Jaguars head coach Liam Coen said the plan is for Newsome to be on the field when they play host to the Seattle Seahawks at EverBank Stadium.
"The plan right now is to be able to continue to onboard him as much as we can through the next few days here," Coen said. "And seems like there is maybe some carryover from some of the [defensive] terms he's used in the past. That's kind of what that part is for the next few days. What can he correlate from where he is been in the past from Cleveland to here, things that may be similar that he can try to connect the dots on?
"So definitely feel like he has an opportunity to play."
Newsome arrived in Jacksonville on Thursday afternoon and has essentially been cramming for a final exam over the past 24 hours, meeting with defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile, defensive backs coach Anthony Perkins, and secondary coach Ron Milus. He also has been picking his teammates' brains, especially during his first practice on Friday, and said he will be ready for whatever role he's given.
"The goal is to beat Seattle, so I've got to do whatever I can to get the playbook down as fast as I can so we can get a win," Newsome said. "It is definitely tough, but I'm a Northwestern man so I pride myself on my brains, so I'll be alright.
"... Definitely take whatever [playing time] I can get. Whatever coach decides I'll be down for it. Obviously, I'm trying to play as much as I can."
The Jaguars sent cornerback Tyson Campbell and a 2026 seventh-round draft pick they previously acquired from Philadelphia to the Browns for Newsome and a 2026 sixth-round selection the Browns had acquired from the New York Jets. The deal unfolded Wednesday night and Newsome said he found out around 11 p.m. ET.
He said he was surprised at first but once the chaos of phone calls, trying to figure out what to do with his apartment, and touching base with the Jaguars he was able to take a minute and reflect on his four years in Cleveland.
"The biggest thing is just the guys," he said. "I've been with some of these guys my entire career, especially a guy like Denzel Ward. That's my brother for life. So not to be out there on the field with him is definitely going to be hard, but it is just like this is what God had for me.
"So I'm super excited to be here, be with this defense [that is] No. 1 in takeaways right now."
