Miami Dolphins in no rush to chase after former star Jason Taylor

Miami Dolphins in no rush to chase after former star Jason Taylor
April 4
Miami Herald

" If defensive end Jason Taylor decides he wants to reunite with the Dolphins next season, the first step toward making it happen is simple: Be patient.

Although the Dolphins have not reached out to Taylor or his agent to discuss a potential return, the team also isn't shutting the door. Miami expects to wait until after the NFL Draft before deciding whether to pursue him, a source said Friday.

Whether Taylor chooses to wait is up to him. But the Dolphins do not want to sign him if they end up drafting a promising outside linebacker -- the position Taylor would play in a 3-4 system.

General manager Jeff Ireland said the Dolphins are ''looking at'' the situation, but he didn't want to discuss the team's level of interest.

'I always say, `You never know what is falling off the tree,' and there is an acorn down there,'' Ireland said. ``We are looking at it. I am not going to say that we are not.''

Ireland also added several points that he will factor into the decision, a few of which didn't play into Taylor's favor -- including his potential impediment on the development of young players.

''Players in particular like Jason, who is going to be 35 in September -- you have to look at whether veteran players are progress-stoppers for younger players,'' Ireland said. ``We have to look at that. Economics [also] have something to do with it.''

EXPANDING THE VIEW

Those factors played into the team's decision to release veteran defensive end Vonnie Holliday last month. Along with a hefty bonus owed to him, Holliday would have been a ''progress-stopper'' for Phillip Merling and Kendal Langford.

The Dolphins don't have that same situation at outside linebacker. There isn't an abundance of developmental pass-rushers, so Taylor's addition would be more appealing to Miami if the team doesn't find the right player in the draft.

The process of finding such a player already is under way, but the team won't begin developing its main draft board until Saturday, when the scouting department meets with Ireland and vice president of football operations Bill Parcells.

For the next two weeks, the Dolphins will work diligently to organize their research on players in this year's draft."
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