The Browns were hit hard before the start of their OTA’s when it was announced that defensive tackle Phil Taylor tore his pec muscle, basically putting him on the shelf for all of 2012.

Taylor though isn’t ready to call it quits for this season, as he spoke to teammate D’Qwell Jackson, who missed 22 games in two years with pectoral tears.

“Don’t come back too soon,” Jackson told Taylor. Right now the big man has not been cleared to lift weights, but says that his rehab consists of “range and motion stuff.”

The Browns will place Taylor on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list at the start of training camp. He could be eligible to return to practice in October and conceivably could be back on the field in November – if all goes well.

“I’m itching to get back, but I’m not going to rush it,” Taylor said. Taylor said he was looking forward to his second NFL season because he felt he ended his rookie year a lot better than it started. “In the beginning, I wasn’t playing so well,” he said. “Towards the end, I got better. I still have a long ways to go. I wanted to start off the way I ended last year.”

It’s asking a lot for Taylor to be back on the field at some point in 2012, but if he keeps his rehab up and follows the orders of the doctors, he could be back for the final two months of the year.