Titans 2017 Draft Pick Signs With AFC South Rival

Wide receiver Taywan Taylor joins the Houston Texans after two seasons with the Cleveland Browns.

Taywan Taylor has not run out of chances in the NFL.

Thursday, the Houston Texans officially signed the former Tennessee Titans wide receiver whose career reached a standstill for the past two years with the Cleveland Browns. The deal is for one year at the veteran minimum of $990,000.

General manager Jon Robinson was in a hurry to select Taylor (5-foot-11, 205 pounds) in the 2017 NFL Draft. The Titans traded with the New England Patriots to move up 11 spots in the third round in order to select him 72nd overall after having selected another wide receiver, Corey Davis, fifth overall.

The belief was that the speed Taylor displayed in four record-setting seasons at Western Kentucky could make a difference.

In two seasons, Taylor caught 53 passes for 697 yards (13.2 yards per reception) and two touchdowns and carried eight times for 43 yards. He led the team in dropped passes in 2017 and 2018 and never factored much into the return game.

Tennessee traded him to Cleveland at the end of the 2019 preseason because – in part – they were ready to go forward with that year’s second-round pick, A.J. Brown. In return, they got a seventh-round pick in the 2020 draft, which they used on quarterback Cole McDonald who did not last through last year’s training camp

In two seasons with Cleveland, Taylor appeared in six games, played 51 snaps on offense and did not have a reception. Not surprisingly, the Browns allowed him to become a free agent this offseason.

The Titans and Browns played each of the last two seasons, but Taylor was inactive both times. He will have two chances to face his first team this season – provided he can stick with the Texans.