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Steelers free agent cornerback Ike Taylor agreed to a paycut to remain in Pittsburgh in 2014, and was happy, at the time, to be finishing his career in Pittsburgh.
Comments made recently to Alex Marvez on Sirius XM NFL Radio paint a slightly different picture. It was more about following defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau than remaining with his team.
"If there’s anybody I would follow, it would be him and him only," Taylor said.
With the need to be conservative with spending this offseason, the Steelers appear more likely to sign undrafted free agents rather than bring Taylor back, and based on the fact he was a healthy scratch at the end of last season, logic suggests the Titans, with new defensive coach Dick LeBeau, will feel the same way.
Taylor, a shrewd media manipulator, appears to be positioning himself to keep his name on the NFL radar. It's rare a player of such clearly diminished skills would gain interviews on national radio, even in the dead time of the NFL calendar.
Then again, veteran cornerbacks brought in to help younger players adapt to a different system and scheme have value. If it's just a depth move for the Titans, or any other team, stranger things have happened.
One thing is clear, though. The Steelers will not be making Taylor an offer in free agency on March 10.