Latest Steelers Rumblings: Steelers coaches pushing for Ike Taylor to return in 2014, management eyes 50% paycut? Miller, Polamalu extension talk

LATEST STEELERS RUMBLINGS

Steelers GM Kevin Colbert met with a group of reporters today and said the Steelers are about $10 million over the salary cap. Releasing Levi Brown for one will save the Steelers over $6 million in cap space and the Steelers feel getting under the salary cap will be manageable.

“As always, we have some work to do to be in compliance by March 11,” said Colbert via Steelers.com. “Looking at it, we think everything will be manageable within that time frame. But again, you have to discuss terminations, restructurings, and extensions, and try to accomplish that. Then, are we a dollar under the cap or are we $3 million under the cap? We won’t know that really until we get to March 11. You hope to have maneuverability at that stage.”

The Steelers are in discussions with at least two key veterans about taking a paycut and cornerback Ike Taylor is at the top of those discussions. The Taylor situation has become somewhat similar to James Harrison last season where the coaching staff is strongly pushing for management to keep Taylor, while the front office eyes a paycut for Taylor, believed to be a significant one.

Taylor, 33, has a $7 million base salary in 2014 and a $11,942,404 cap hit. The Steelers coaches project to use Cortez Allen as their top cover corner in 2014 but the majority opinion among the key decision makers on the coaching staff is Taylor can still be an effective No. 2 cornerback in this league.

The Steelers are extremely thin at cornerback and safety in the secondary.

Whether Taylor is back will depend on whether a number can be reached on a paycut. It’s believed the Steelers are asking Taylor to take around a 50% paycut.

Another hot topic in Steelers circles is obviously the future of LaMarr Woodley. Colbert told reporters today that it is feasible for the Steelers to keep both Woodley and Jason Worilds but talk from those behind the scenes is that there’s no chance of that happening as it’s believed Worilds will not resign if Woodley returns.

“LaMarr has had some durability concerns over the past couple of seasons. They have been legitimate injuries,” said Colbert. “Any time a player has an injury, if it extends beyond the season, it does become a concern. It has to be, because if the player is not on the field he isn’t helping us. But it would be a concern for any player who has missed extended time.”

Meanwhile, extensions for veterans Heath Miller and Troy Polamalu at eyed by the Steelers brass to lower their respective cap hits.