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Cleveland Browns release Phil Taylor; roster now at 75

By Thomas Moore

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The Cleveland Browns released former first-round draft pick Phil Taylor on Tuesday as the club reduced its roster to the NFL-mandated 75 players, according to the team’s website.

The club also waived defensive lineman Ishmaa’ily Kitchen, fullback Luke Lundy and kicker Carey Spear.

It is a bit of a surprise that the Browns cut Taylor, even though he hasn’t consistently played like someone who was a first-round draft pick in 2011, and has battled injuries in two of the past three seasons.

While he only played in five games last season, Taylor carried a $5.477 million contract that is fully guaranteed, leaving many to assume that he would be this year’s Ahtyba Rubin, a veteran who the Browns let play out his contract before allowing to walk away in free agency. It is probably a sign of the team’s depth along the defensive line that they don’t have to follow the same scenario with Taylor.

Taylor made his preseason debut on Saturday night against Tampa Bay for a handful of plays. Even though he was finally on the field after recovering from last season’s knee injury, head coach Mike Pettine did not sound optimistic after the game about Taylor being able to contribute any time soon.

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The release of Taylor leaves rookie Danny Shelton at the top of the depth chart at nose tackle, with John Hughes and Jamie Meder likely to also see playing time on the interior of the line.

The growth of Meder – who is Pro Football Focus’ highest-ranked defensive lineman in the preseason – also probably played a role in Cleveland’s decision to move on from Taylor.

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 “Just given the depth that we had in that room, we knew we were going to have to make some difficult choices,” Pettine said of the move. “I think you can group Kitch (DL Ishmaa’ily Kitchen) in along with Phil. When we were wherever Phil was and kind of in his state of rehab, he was well on his way to being back but just given the current circumstances of us needing to trim the roster down and where he was and how we felt about the room, we just felt it was the right decision for all involved.

“We’re very confident in the group that we have. We feel the defensive line is going to be the strength of what we do defensively. We were able to add Randy (Starks) this offseason. John Hughes is back healthy. Jamie Meder has stepped up and proven that he can play at a high level in this league. Shelton and (Xavier) Cooper and Des (Desmond Bryant) are playing at a high level.

“We knew that coming into – it was a good problem to have – it was still a problem figuring out how to get the roster set. We are very confident in the group that we have.”

According to the site, Meder “showed up well rushing the passer in 19 snaps, utilizing his strength in bull rushes to get to the quarterback. Meder also posted three stops in run defense, grading out at a +2.9 overall,” earning praise from Pettine.

“Jamie is a guy that has played very well for us. He is not a flashy guy, but he is very good with his technique and with his hands,” Pettine said. “I am very pleased with where Jamie is. We are just going to see how it all plays out. As we all know, that is a room where we have tremendous depth. Jamie is a guy that – I think (defensive coordinator Jim) O’Neil said it the other day – if you had to vote for a most improved that he would certainly be in the discussion.”

In four seasons with the Browns, Taylor appeared in 44 games, making 69 tackles and accumulating seven sacks.

Next: Josh McCown has executed his role perfectly

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