Wrexham Taylor began his career at
Manchester City, but left the club at the age of 15. He instead moved to
Wrexham at the age of 16, progressing through the youth system at the club, signing a professional contract in July 2007. He made his professional debut on 28 August 2007 in the second round of the
League Cup, as a 79th-minute substitute for
Eifion Williams in a 0–5 home loss to
Aston Villa at the
Racecourse Ground. On 22 September, he made his league debut, starting in a 2–1
League Two loss at
Stockport County, crossing for the opening goal by
Marc Williams. He finished the 2007–08 season when he made 27 league and cup appearances. He signed an extension to his contract on 13 March 2008, keeping him at Wrexham until 2010. Wrexham finished the season with relegation out of
The Football League. On 7 October 2008, Taylor scored his first career goal in a 3–1 home win over
York City in the
Conference Premier, a match in which he was
captain, and followed it up with another in a 5–0 rout of
Eastbourne Borough on 20 December. His only other Wrexham goal came in his last appearance on 10 April 2010, volleying to conclude a 2–0 win at relegated
Grays Athletic.
Swansea City in 2011 At the end of the 2009–10 season, Taylor joined
Football League Championship side
Swansea City on a free transfer. He made his Swans debut on 21 August, as a half-time substitute for
Albert Serrán in a 2–0 defeat at
Norwich City. He had played 15 league matches, due to injuries and suspensions, before spraining his ankle against
Reading on 1 January 2011. He made his return on 19 February against
Doncaster Rovers, the same week where both he and captain
Garry Monk became fathers. On 12 May, in the Championship
play-off semi-final first leg against
Nottingham Forest, Taylor was sent off after 53 seconds for a high challenge on
Lewis McGugan, with the match ending in a goalless draw. His impressive form then sparked a £1 million plus bid from
Newcastle United that summer, but he committed himself to the Swans instead with a contract extension. That paid off for both player and club as Taylor again enjoyed a successful season in helping the Swans to 11th spot in their first
Premier League campaign. Taylor suffered a broken ankle in the match against
Sunderland on 1 September 2012 after falling awkwardly during a challenge on
Craig Gardner in the early stages of the match and was ruled out until the end of the season. On 14 December 2012, Taylor signed a new three-and-a-half-year contract with Swansea, lasting until 2016. In late February, Taylor returned to full training after six months out with injury. Shortly before his return, Swansea City won the
League Cup Final following a 5–0 win over League Two side
Bradford City. In late April, he played 80 minutes for
Swansea City U21s as part of his rehabilitation. Taylor made his first senior appearance since his injury as a substitute for
Ben Davies in a 2–0 loss against
Chelsea on 28 April 2013. After the match, he expressed relief at his return to the first team. After Taylor's return, Swansea manager
Michael Laudrup described the battle for the left-back slot between Taylor and Davies as "a beautiful problem for a manager to have". Following the transfer of Davies to
Tottenham Hotspur in 2014, Taylor reestablished himself as first-choice left back for Swansea. Taylor signed a new four-year contract in June 2015, tying him to the club until 2019.
Aston Villa After his position as Swansea's left back was challenged by
Stephen Kingsley and
Martin Olsson, on 31 January 2017 Taylor joined
Championship side
Aston Villa along with an estimated £5 million in exchange for
Jordan Ayew. He made his debut eleven days later in a 1–0 home loss to
Ipswich Town, starting and playing 77 minutes while wearing a protective mask over his fractured cheekbone. Manager
Steve Bruce said he did well given his injury and lack of match practice. On 30 September 2017, Taylor was sent off at the end of a 1–0 home win over
Bolton Wanderers for a foul on
Adam Le Fondre. He was not included in the Villa team that lost the
2018 EFL Championship play-off final, but played as they won against Derby County in
the next year's edition, promoting them to the Premier League. Having been mostly inactive due to injury, Taylor played just 14 Premier League games in the
2019–20 season, as Villa avoided the drop on the final day. In the
2020–21 season, he was frequently benched under deputed left-back
Matt Targett. However, he made just one 15-minute league appearance as a substitute for the injured Targett in a 2–0 loss against Manchester City on 20 January 2021. On May 2021, Aston Villa announced that Taylor would leave the club when his contract expired at the end of the
season.
Middlesbrough On 18 November 2021, Taylor joined Championship side
Middlesbrough on a short-term contract until the middle of January. He made his debut on 18 December, with
Chris Wilder picking him ahead of
Marc Bola for a 1–0 home win over
AFC Bournemouth, after which Wilder praised him. On 14 January, having made one more appearance and with Bola suffering a knee injury, Taylor's deal was extended for the rest of the
2021–22 season. Taylor was released by Middlesbrough at the end of the season. On 7 November 2022, Taylor announced his retirement from professional football at the age of 33, via
Twitter. ==International career==