Cleveland Browns: 5 Players on the Hot Seat in 2015
Sep 29, 2013; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns nose tackle Phillip Taylor (98) before the game against the Cincinnati Bengals at FirstEnergy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports
4. Phil Taylor
If you look up “Phil Taylor” on Google, the first results that come up are for a dart player from the United Kingdom. He’s kind of been lost in many people’s eyes- even on search engines – after a productive rookie season in 2011 where he posted 59 combined tackles and 4 sacks. In the past three seasons he’s combined for just 50 combined tackles and 3 sacks, while playing in only 28 games.
Related: Cleveland Browns 2015 Position Preview – Defensive Line
Taylor wasn’t a Ray Farmer draft pick, so the connection to validate his selection isn’t there. Sometimes availability is the most important asset. You can have an all-world talent like Josh Gordon, but his stupidity has made him almost worthless because he’s never on the field.
Taylor’s size and ability is ideal, but how could you rely on him as a starter if he doesn’t have the durability to play for long strecthes at a time? As an organization you can’t keep relying on someone that can’t consistently stay on the field. When Taylor plays he’s been productive, but another injury plague season could easily end his stint in Cleveland.
Next: Dwayne Bowe