Cleveland Browns general manager Tom Heckert gave the most definitive prognosis for injured defensive tackle Phil Taylor yet, saying on Monday that Taylor should be ready to go by the fall.
Debate: Most indispensable player
Which player means more to his team than anyone else? Our analysts debate, with Drew Brees getting plenty of attention. **More ...**
A team source had told The Plain Dealer earlier in May that Taylor, who recently had surgery to repair a torn pectoral muscle, was expected to play in 2012. On Monday, Heckert was even more specific, telling the newspaper that he is "100 percent" sure that Taylor will be back.
"I don't think there's any question about that," Heckert said. "We think he'll be back end of October, early November, he'll definitely be back. It's six months at the most, and that's being very, very cautious. He could be back earlier than that."
Taylor suffered the injury while lifting weights.