Phil Taylor's Possible Torn Pectoral Would Be Disastrous for Browns' D-Line

The young defensive line was one of the few bright spots for a Cleveland Browns team that staggered through a miserable 2011 season (4-12).

In the true spirit of the curse that apparently hangs over them, one of their up-and-coming young defensive tackles suffered an injury Thursday, perhaps ending his 2012 season before it even got off the ground.

Tackle Phil Taylor injured himself during Cleveland's offseason conditioning program in Berea, Ohio. John Telich of Fox 8 TV in Cleveland tweeted that Taylor's agent fears that the injury is a torn pectoral muscle, which would likely land the 6'2" 335-pound beefeater on injured reserve.

"

Phil Taylor Agent says Phil will come back strong. Confirmed Phil poss torn pec.Confirmed getting MRI.

— john telich (@JohnTelich8) May 10, 2012"

The Browns have been bitten by the the pectoral bug more than once in the recent past, as the same type of injury cost starting middle linebacker D'Qwell Jackson most of the 2009 and 2010 seasons.

Taylor played very well as a rookie after the Browns selected him with the 21st overall pick in the 2011 NFL draft, and along with Ahtyba Rubin Taylor, formed an imposing young tackle duo that would have been one of the cornerstones of Cleveland's defense this season. As a rookie Taylor racked up 59 tackles, four sacks and a forced fumble.

Until the MRI comes back we won't know for sure how badly Taylor is hurt, but given that it's the Browns, it's safe to assume the worst. (Torn pectorals, staph infections—I could list bizarre incidents all the way back to Don Rogers' overdose in 1982. It's a curse, I'm telling you.) That begs the question of what Cleveland will do next if Taylor is out for a considerable amount of time.

The Browns drafted Cincinnati defensive tackle John Hughes in the third round of April's draft. The selection of the 6'2" 309-pounder was questioned by some at the time, but it appears very prescient in hindsight, as a rookie who before would have likely seen only rotational snaps will now almost certainly see significant playing time.

However, the loss of Taylor will also leave the Browns precariously thin at the position, so the team may look to add some veteran depth in free agency. The defensive tackles have been pretty picked over by this point, but a few adequate options remain available.

Those include Tommie Harris of the San Diego Chargers, Marcus Thomas of the Denver Broncos and (gulp!) Albert Haynesworth of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but given the Cleveland front office's disdain for spending significantly in free agency, it's more likely that the club will sign a lesser-known option on the cheap.

Regardless of what direction the Cleveland Browns go in from here if the injury to Phil Taylor is a serious one, it would be a crushing blow to their defense. One of the few areas of the team that wasn't a question mark entering the season has now become one, and a defense that struggled against the run last year (30th in the NFL) is now down a weak-side linebacker and defensive tackle before training camp even starts.

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