The Cleveland Browns agreed to an injury settlement when they released defensive tackle Phil Taylor. That means both parties agreed it was time for a parting.

Taylor, a first-round draft pick in 2011, agreed to a settlement figure of $966,529, according to ESPN's Roster Management System.

That's far less than the $5.477 million he was guaranteed when the Browns picked up his fifth-year option, and is roughly three games pay.

Teams and players usually agree to injury settlements when a player wants to go to another team, but the team feels he is not healthy enough to play or be released. Thus the two sides work out the terms of the settlement.

The three games pay probably indicates the Browns felt Taylor would be out that long, so they agreed to pay him for those games in exchange for him gaining free agency.

Taylor was trying to come back from knee surgery, and the decision to part ways was made a few days after he played in a preseason game, his first time on the field since last November.

When Taylor was released, he visited the Pittsburgh Steelers, who decided Taylor needed another procedure on his knee and passed on signing him.

That lingering knee problem may have led to the settlement, which is used in lieu of putting the player on injured reserve.

Had Taylor gone on IR, he would not have been able to play for the entire season -- or until he was fully healthy, when he could have been released off IR. The settlement gives him the chance to play again this season and to look for a new team. Taylor also may have thought his playing time would have been reduced in Cleveland with the Browns taking Danny Shelton in the first round of the draft. Taylor earned his freedom for just short of $1 million.

By agreeing to the settlement, the Browns saved roughly $4.5 million in cap room.