Washington Redskins nose tackle Phil Taylor Sr.'s comeback was nearly complete, but an apparent injury has once again altered his future.
Taylor will miss the season after tearing his left quad in the first quarter of Sunday's 23-17 preseason win over the Cincinnati Bengals, multiple sources told ESPN. He underwent an MRI on Monday to determine the severity of the injury.
He had been working as the Redskins' starting nose tackle for most of training camp and through the first three preseason games.
The Redskins have struggled to fill that position the past several seasons. They have other options on the roster in Joey Mbu and A.J. Francis. They could play defensive end Ziggy Hood at nose tackle, as they did last season out of necessity.
The defense previously lost reserve linebacker Trent Murphy, coming off a nine-sack campaign, for the season to a torn ACL in his left knee.
As a rookie first-round pick in 2011, Taylor showed promise by starting every game for the Cleveland Browns. But that was the last time he was able to play all 16 games in a season.
Taylor has not played in a regular-season game since Nov. 6, 2014, with the Browns because of knee injuries. He was healthy enough to sign with the Denver Broncos in the 2016 offseason but hurt his knee during camp and was placed on injured reserve before being released.
He worked out for the Redskins midway through last season, but they opted not to sign him at that time and Taylor admitted in early December that in his mind he had retired.
A phone call from his agent, informing him about the Redskins' plans to sign him after the season, prompted Taylor to abandon those plans and start working out to get ready for 2017.
Taylor was excited not only about playing again but also being near home. Taylor was born in Washington, D.C., and attended high school in Brandywine, Maryland.