Free agent CB Ike Taylor has agreed to a new 4-year deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Adam Schefter reports. Taylor will be 35 when the deal ends.
I’ve been torn for a while on what the team should do with Taylor. On one hand, he will certainly make the team much better this year, but a long term deal for a 31 year old cornerback is the exact type of deal the Steelers usually avoid. In this case, though, it makes sense to overpay for Taylor since the Steelers are hopefully in position to contend for a title in 2011.
Taylor has had an up and down career in Pittsburgh, but he has played outstanding since Mike Tomlin’s arrival in 2007. He’s big, physical and a great tackler…three traits that a top cornerback in Dick LeBeau’s system must have.
Taylor signing a new deal significantly solidifies the Steelers’ cornerback situation. Bryant McFadden is healthy and will likely start opposite him this season. Crezdon Butler and Keenan Lewis could also push for time. William Gay is currently an unrestricted free agent.
It’s unlikely, then, that the Steelers will make a big free agent splash at the cornerback position. Some fans had pipe dreams of overpaying for Nnamdi Asomugha, but that was never going to happen. Maybe we see a depth signing for a cheap CB who would play mostly in the nickel, but that’s it.
