Unlike a lot of fans and writers (won't name names) who had some scathingly critical remarks to say about Jason Taylor when he left the Dolphins to play for the Redskins last offseason, I always supported him and defended his decision-making, rationale, and integrity.
So it is without any backsliding or hypocrisy that I can warmly welcome one of the greatest Dolphins players ever back into the fold. You'll see a lot of that same sentiment over the next few days, and more often than not it'll be coming from people who were glad to see him go.
Jason Taylor re-signed with the Dolphins today, on a one-year contract worth $1.1 million with an additional $400,000 in incentives.
Wow. That is mere pennies, when you consider he was due to make $8.5 million from Washington this season, or that New England was willing to offer him more than Miami's $1.1 million.
To put it simply, he wants to end his career the right way. And that's not by playing for the Patriots or Jets - much like Zach Thomas couldn't bring himself to play for New England last year.
From a football standpoint, his role is certainly cloudy. How much does he have left exactly? He's certainly a major weakness in run defense. Joey Porter is as well, so how can the team justify pairing them both up as the starting outside linebackers? This defense would probably get trounced on the ground if that were the case. So we may have to be open to the possibility of moving Taylor to something of a situational pass-rusher role, while keeping Matt Roth (one of the best OLBs versus the run) in his starting role.
Taylor may only be here for one year before retiring, so it will still be crucial to get Cameron Wake game action so that he can develop. But at just $1.1 million, I'd much rather have Jason Taylor on the roster this year than Charlie Anderson or Tearrius George.
It's also worth noting that Taylor said he would join the Dolphins' offseason program as soon as possible - a far cry from his stance with the Redskins. Without a doubt, he wants to be here, and I am quite happy to have him back.
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