Now that the contract of cornerback Ike Taylor has been restructured, it will increase his 2014 cap hit by almost $1.5 million and that means he will be nearly a $5 million dead money hit if released prior to next season.
Taylor is scheduled to earn a base salary of $7 million in 2014, the final year of his contract, and the Steelers will likely see if he will be willing to lower it. Releasing Taylor outright only saves $7 million in cap space.
By the looks of things, the Steelers will need the services of Taylor next season as Curtis Brown just doesn’t seem like he is going to cut it. The Steelers do have William Gay and Cortez Allen both under contract for 2014, but they would be the only experienced cornerbacks on the roster if both Taylor and Brown were to be released.
Taylor keeps himself in amazing shape and has played well so far this year against several of the top wide receivers in the league. Regardless of what happens with Taylor, the Steelers will once again need to draft one if not two cornerbacks in the 2014 NFL Draft.
