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The Cleveland Browns clinched their third playoff berth since 1999 after a critical win over the New York Jets. The entire city was celebrating the Browns’ primetime performance. Phil Taylor, the Browns’ first-round pick in 2011, even made an appearance.
The former defensive tackle was captured celebrating the victory in the first row alongside Browns’ starters Denzel Ward, Greg Newsome II, Juan Thornhill, and Za’Darius Smith.
Phil Taylor played four seasons with the Browns’ amassing 109 tackles and 7 sacks in his shortened career. It’s awesome to see Taylor and other former players celebrating with the fans and players.
In a season marred by injuries. The Browns have lost multiple franchise cornerstones over the past 17 weeks. The backups replaced the stars and in some cases, those backups were injured and replaced by free agents or players from other practice squads.
Personally, the shuffling around of players has pushed the concept of a team’s identity further into the abstract. Seeing Phil Taylor, and other former players who didn’t have the careers they or the fans hoped for, rally around the team and the city is something special. It’s a reminder that the game is so much more than rooting for clothing.
