Browns’ Taylor could miss 2012

Associated Press

BEREA

On a day of renewal and optimism in Cleveland, coach Pat Shurmur had to first dispense the bad news.

It’s always seems to be something with the Browns.

Moments after running back Trent Richardson, quarterback Brandon Weeden and the Browns’ other rookies took the field under a cloudless sky to open a three-day minicamp, Shurmur announced that massive defensive tackle Phil Taylor would need surgery to repair a torn chest muscle and could miss the upcoming season.

“It was just one of those things that happens,” Shurmur said Friday. “It’s unfortunate.”

Taylor tore his left pectoral muscle while doing bench presses in the weight room on Thursday. His injury is potentially devastating injury for a Cleveland defense that ranked 30th in the league against the run last season.

Shurmur said Taylor will have surgery next week, when the team will have a better sense of how long they’ll be without the 6-foot-3, 335-pounder.

With the opener against Philadelphia four months away, Shurmur didn’t want to rule Taylor out for the season.

“It’s too early to speculate,” he said. “Typically with these surgeries, the rehab is months so I don’t want to say exactly. I don’t want to cancel him out for the year, no.”

Typically, torn pectoral muscles take at least sixth months to heal. Browns inside linebacker D’Qwell Jackson missed most of two seasons after tearing his pectoral muscle on both sides.