Phil Taylor, a first-round pick of the Cleveland Browns in 2011, has announced his retirement from football.
“I’d like to thank the NFL and the Cleveland Browns for drafting me,” Taylor wrote in a post on his Twitter page. “It’s been a fun and tough 8 years. I’ve made my home in NE Ohio with my family. I love the Cleveland fans and can’t wait to give back to the community that supported me. I’m officially retiring!”
Taylor hasn’t appeared in a regular season NFL game since 2014 with the Browns. Stops with the Denver Broncos and Washington Redskins since then have proven unsuccessful as injuries helped to derail his career. He was released as a part of final roster cuts with Washington last September in what became his last bid to make a roster again.
Taylor appeared in just 44 games in four seasons with the Browns. He was a member of the 2011 Pro Football Writers’ Association All-Rookie Team after recording 59 tackles and four sacks in the only full 16-game season of his career. Knee injuries ended his 2014 season and kept him out of the NFL for all of 2015. He joined the Broncos in 2018 before a knee injury on the second day of training camp landed him on injured reserve.
In perhaps his best chance to restart his career with Washington in 2017, a torn quadriceps ended the comeback in the preseason. He re-signed with the team for 2018 but did not make the roster.