In case you haven’t heard, Jags RB Fred Taylor was released by the team yesterday and Pittsburgh and New England are already being mentioned as possible suitors. I know a lot of people can’t stand Peter King and find him really annoying, but he’s the premier football journalist right now and his opinion means something, like it or not.
I’ve been ready to declare Taylor dead in the water for 3 or 4 years, but the guy just keeps coming back. He’s always ran very well against the Steelers, even in recent years. Still, Taylor may have began the bigtime downward spiral in his career last year. He only averaged 3.9 Y/A and 556 total yards.
Taylor is a guy who runs with an admirable worth ethic and would have been great for Pittsburgh a year or two ago, but I’m not sure where he would fit in here. As I discusssed earlier, the Steelers had 2 productive running back in 2008 and have 1st round pick Rashard Mendenhall coming back healthy. Taylor would be a good mentor and would get a few carries, but a team like New England or even Cincinatti offers more promise to Taylor. I’m sure he’d like to go to a contender, so maybe he’d take a discount to play with Pittsburgh, but chances are New England can pay him more money, offer him more carries, and still give him a great chance at playing in a Super Bowl.
The Steelers have some pressing needs and I don’t think running back is one of them. As much as I love Fred Taylor, this isn’t the place for him unless he is willing to accept less cash and less playing time. There’s no real reason for him to turn down either quite yet.
Do you think Fred Taylor would be a good free agent signing for the Steelers? Why or why not?
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