NT Phil Taylor Announces Retirement
Phil Taylor is calling it a career. The veteran nose tackle announced on Twitter that he’s decided to retire.
“I’d like to thank the NFL and the Cleveland Browns for drafting me,” Taylor said. “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 entered the league as a 2011 first-round pick, and he proceeded to play his first four seasons with the Browns. He sat out the 2015 campaign after being released by Cleveland, and after catching on with the Broncos in 2016, a knee injury led to his release. He signed a one-year deal with the Redskins during the 2017 offseason before a torn quad forced him to miss the entire campaign. He re-signed with Washington last offseason, but he was cut following the preseason.
The 30-year-old finishes his career having appeared in 44 games. He compiled 109 tackles, seven sacks, and one forced fumble during his four years in the league.
NFL Workout Updates: 11/13/18
Here’s the latest from the workout circuit. All links go to NFL reporter Howard Balzer’s Twitter account, unless otherwise noted.
Arizona Cardinals
- LB Thurston Armbrister, LB Terence Garvin, CB Leonard Johnson, T Rick Leonard, S Dexter McCoil, DT Tyrunn Walker (link)
Detroit Lions
- LB Azeem Victor (link)
Indianapolis Colts
- TE Kivon Cartwright, TE Je’Ron Hamm, TE Nick Keizer, CB Reggie Porter, LB Anthony Winbush (link)
Jacksonville Jaguars
- DE Geneo Grissom, DT David Parry, DT Elijah Qualls, T Menelik Watson (Twitter link via Sirius XM Radio’s Adam Caplan)
New Orleans Saints
- DT Michael Bennett, DT Sealver Siliga, DE Phil Taylor, DL Jerel Worthy (link)
New York Jets
- WR Tanner McEvoy, LB Corey Nelson, DE Marcus Smith, DL Destiny Vaeao, TE Hakeem Valles (link)
Oakland Raiders
- S Afolabi Aguda, WR Rashard Davis, WR Josh Huff, WR Charles Johnson, P Drew Kaser, S Tray Matthews, S Stephen Roberts, QB Alek Torgersen, WR Griff Whalen, S J.J. Wilcox (link)
Tennessee Titans
- WR Daniel Braverman, WR Quan Bray, OLB/DE Kasim Edebali, DE Terrence Fede, CB Dontae Johnson, CB Mike Jordan, CB Ashton Lampkin, CB Jeremiah McKinnon, OLB/DE Nate Orchard, QB Nic Shimonek, WR ArDarius Stewart, TE Tyrone Swoopes, LB John Timu, RB Charcandrick West (link)
Redskins Form Initial Roster
The Redskins moved their roster to 53 players on Saturday by making the following transactions:
Released:
- RB Kapri Bibbs
- DL Phil Taylor, Sr.
- WR Brian Quick
- C Demetrius Rhaney
Waived:
- S Quin Blanding
- T Kendall Calhoun
- T T.J. Clemmings
- WR Simmie Cobbs, Jr.
- LB Vontae Diggs
- LB Jerod Fernandez
- WR Shay Fields
- TE Matt Flanagan
- QB Kevin Hogan
- TE J.P. Holtz
- TE Garrett Hudson
- CB Prince Charles Iworah
- QB Connor Jessop
- G Kyle Kalis
- WR Darvin Kidsey
- T John Kling
- S Kenny Ladler
- LB Cassanova McKinzy
- LB Dadi Nicolas
- T Timon Parris
- DL Ondre Pipkins
- LB Pete Robertson
- DL Dante Sawyer
- RB De’Veon Smith
- S Fish Smithson
- LB Martrell Spaight
- CB Ranthony Texada
- DL JoJo Wicker
- WR Daniel Williams III
- G Isaiah Williams
Placed on PUP:
- DL Stacy McGee
Placed on NFI:
Redskins To Re-Sign DT Phil Taylor
A former first-round pick, Phil Taylor has not played in a regular-season game since the 2014 season. But the Redskins remain curious to see if he can help their team.
Washington intends to re-sign the defensive tackle to a one-year deal, Liz Clarke of the Washington Post reports. Taylor will turn 30 this week and hasn’t seen game action since he was with the Browns four years ago, but Washington liked his work enough he was in position to be the 2017 Redskins’ starting nose tackle, per Clarke, prior to going down with a season-ending injury in August.
Taylor tore his left quadriceps muscle in a preseason game last year. The Redskins had signed him to a reserve/futures deal at the conclusion of their 2016 season. He went to training camp with the 2016 Broncos but didn’t make the team.
The No. 21 pick in the 2011 draft, Taylor started 42 games for the Browns from 2011-14. Injury trouble has plagued him throughout his career, though, and it would seem like he’s close to the end of the line if he cannot stay healthy after this latest opportunity.
Ziggy Hood operated as the Redskins’ primary nose tackle last season; Taylor would seem to be competing for a depth role at this juncture.
Redskins’ Phil Taylor Done For Year
Redskins nose tackle Phil Taylor will miss the 2017 season because of a quad injury suffered on Sunday, a source tells ESPN.com’s John Keim (Twitter link). An MRI on Monday confirmed the team’s worst fears.
Taylor has not seen the field since 2014 and was hoping to revive his career in D.C. Knee injuries plagued Taylor for much of his time as an NFL player, leaving him unable to fulfill the promise he had as a first-round pick in 2011. His quad injury may prove to be a career-ender, unless he wants to try and return to football as a 30-year-old who is more than three years removed from live action.
In 2013, Taylor started for Cleveland and his performance against the run placed him a solid 26th among 69 qualified defensive tackles, according to Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics. He then played just 133 snaps in 2014 before being sidelined with a knee injury.
The Redskins project to start Stacy McGee in the middle with Joey Mbu and A.J. Francis as backups.
NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 1/6/17
Here are the latest reserve/futures contract signings from around the NFL. These deals will go into effect on the first day of the 2017 league year, with players joining their respective clubs’ offseason 90-man rosters.
Chicago Bears
Indianapolis Colts
- K Devon Bell
New Orleans Saints
Washington Redskins
- LB Khairi Fortt
- LB Pete Robertson
- DL Phil Taylor
NFL Workout Updates: 10/10/16
Well, this is a new one: The Steelers worked out Spanish rugby sevens player Inaki Villanueva, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (Twitter link), who adds that Villanueva will attempt to make the NFL as a tight end. Villanueva, 25 this week, was part of the Spanish rugby team that competed at the 2016 Summer Olmypics.
Here’s more on today’s tryouts and visits:
- The Patriots worked out wide receiver Donteea Dye, fullback Austin Johnson, and tight end Gannon Sinclair today, a source tells Doug Kyed of NESN. Per Kyed, the trio was likely auditioning for a spot on New England’s practice squad, which currently only has nine members.
- Jake Long wasn’t the only offensive lineman to audition for the Vikings today, as Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (Twitter link) reports that Minnesota also took a look at Garrett Reynolds and Reid Fragel.
- The Redskins worked out defensive tackles Jermelle Cudjo, A.J. Francis, and Joey Mbu today, per Caplan (Twitter link). Washington met with fellow DTs Terrance Knighton (link) and Phil Taylor (link) today as well, but won’t be signing either one at this time, according to Mike Jones of the Washington Post (Twitter link).
- Although the Cowboys tried out defensive backs Rashaad Reynolds, Leon McFadden, and Richard Crawford today, the club won’t be signing any of them, tweets Todd Archer of ESPN.com.
- The Cardinals auditioned linebackers Dwayne Norman and Jayson DiManche, as well as safeties Keenan Lambert and Dezmen Southward on Monday, reports Caplan (Twitter link).
- The Eagles worked out linebackers Eric Pinkins, Lamar Louis, and James Burgess, Caplan tweets.
Redskins Hosting DT Phil Taylor On Visit
The Redskins are hosting defensive tackle Phil Taylor for a workout today, Mike Jones of The Washington Post tweets.
[RELATED: Josh Doctson Likely To Avoid IR]
A first-round pick in 2011, Taylor was cut by the Browns at his request before the 2015 season when it became clear that Danny Shelton would be the club’s starting nose tackle. Taylor did not find an NFL home after that and he remained in limbo until February of this year when the Broncos picked him up. Unfortunately, his knee issues popped up again over the summer and Denver ultimately tossed him back into the water.
Taylor, 28, was a starter on defense for Cleveland in 2013, but only played 555 defensive snaps, serving primarily as a run stopper. While he wasn’t a full-time player, Taylor’s performance against the run still placed him a solid 26th among 69 qualified defensive tackles, according to Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics. He then played just 133 snaps in 2014 before being sidelined with a knee injury.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/10/16
Here are today’s minor moves.
- A sixth-round Colts pick in 2015, linebacker Amarlo Herrera could not stick on Indianapolis’ roster long. The team cut the second-year ‘backer midway through his second training camp and also waived/injured running back Abou Toure, Mike Chappell of IndySportsCentral reports (on Twitter). Toure will revert to the Colts’ IR if unclaimed. Drafted out of Georgia, Herrera played in three games for the Colts last season. The move to cut Herrera served as a football-0nly move despite it coming before Indianapolis’ preseason debut, per Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star (on Twitter).
- The Broncos terminated former Browns first-rounder Phil Taylor from their IR, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle tweets. Taylor signed with the defending champions before the start of free agency.
- The Panthers cut Roderick Byers, a UDFA guard from Clemson, with a failure to disclose physical condition designation, Wilson tweets.
- The Cowboys claimed offensive lineman Mike McQueen off waivers from the Chargers and cut wide receiver Ed Eagan, Brandon George of the Dallas Morning News reports. San Diego initially signed McQueen, a rookie UDFA out of Ohio University who played mostly tackle for the Bobcats, after the draft.
- The Rams signed defensive tackle Zach Colvin, a rookie free agent out of Bowling Green, Wilson reports (on Twitter).
- The Bears placed Marquis Jackson on waivers after reaching an injury settlement, Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune tweets. He was placed on waivers.
- Titans safety Josh Aubrey has retired, as Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com tweets. Aubrey, 25, appeared in games for Cleveland in 2013 and Houston in 2014.
- The Lions signed free agent cornerback Rashaad Reynolds and waived/injured cornerback Ian Wells, as Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com tweets.
- The Falcons have signed running back Cyrus Gray, a former sixth-round pick of Kansas City, Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com tweets. Gray will give Atlanta an extra RB as third-stringer Terron Ward is in a walking boot following a left ankle injury.
- Defensive lineman Julien Obioha has cleared waivers and reverted to the Jets‘ IR, as Brian Costello of the New York Post tweets.
AFC Notes: Bush, Hopkins, Taylor, Raiders
New Bills signee Reggie Bush isn’t committing to playing beyond 2016, as Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link) reported — prior to Bush agreeing to terms — that the veteran running back wanted to play at least one more season to “round out” his career. Bush, 31, waited to find a new club because he wanted to make sure his ACL injury, suffered when he slipped on the concrete at the Edward Jones Dome last year, was fully healed, per Cole. And while Buffalo has seen its running back depth chart depleted by off-the-field drama, Bush figures to act mainly as a returner, although he could see some work in package plays alongside LeSean McCoy, tweets Vic Carucci of the Buffalo News.
Here’s more from the AFC:
- DeAndre Hopkins ended his holdout after a single day over the weekend, and speaking to reporters today, the Texans explained the goal of his decision. “I wasn’t trying to send a message or anything like that,” Hopkins said, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. “I was doing what I felt was best for me and my family.” Hopkins will earn under $1.5MM during the upcoming season, but reports yesterday indicated Houston was willing to discuss his contract. Owner Bob McNair echoed that sentiment today, telling reporters the club would “deal with [Hopkins’] contract at the proper time,” although Wilson adds that the Texans remain against negotiating this year.
- The Broncos aren’t expected to welcome defensive tackle Phil Taylor back to the club in 2017 after placing him on injured reserve yesterday, according to Troy Renck of Denver7 (Twitter link). In fact, Taylor might be off Denver’s roster in the very near future, as Mike Klis of 9NEWS reports that Taylor’s MRI came back positive — as such, Taylor could be released off IR with an injury settlement. Taylor, a former first-round pick, was signed by the Broncos in February after spending last season out of the NFL while dealing with knee injuries.
- Elsewhere in the AFC West, the Raiders will field as many as four new starters on their revamped defense, and that number could include two rookies — defensive lineman Jihad Ward and safety Karl Joseph — says Cole in a separate video. Just this morning, scouting guru Dave-Te Thomas analyzed Oakland’s rookie class, noting that Joseph has the ability to line up against tight ends and a nose for the ball, while adding that undrafted free agent defensive lineman Darius Latham (Indiana) could also play a role.