Patriots Interested in Fred Taylor

After being released by the Jacksonville Jaguars this past week, Fred Taylor is already finding some teams willing to see how much tread is remaining on his tires.

Shalise Manza Young of the Providence Journal reported on Saturday that the Patriots and Bills are likely landing spots for the 33-year-old running back, while Mike Reiss of the Boston Globe says he could be visiting New England as early as this week.

Taylor might be a good fit for the Patriots, especially since they had a great deal of success with an aging Corey Dillon after he wore out his welcome in Cincinnati a few years ago. His running style fits in with the Patriots' offense, and he should still be a valuable asset in the right situation -- a situation where he isn't relied on for 35 carries every Sunday.

Beyond that, New England has made a living picking up players at the tail end of their careers and squeezing quality production out of them; players such as Rodney Harrison and Junior Seau (his first stint with the Patriots, not the couple of weeks he spent there this season).

A season ago, New England finished as the No. 6 rushing team in the league using a running back by committee approach with LaMont Jordan, Kevin Faulk, Sammy Morris and BenJarvus Green-Ellis. Laurence Maroney, a 2006 first-round pick, missed the majority of the season due to injury and was largely ineffective when he was on the field. Jordan is an unrestricted free agent heading into this offseason.

Taylor is coming off one of his least-productive seasons ever, rushing for only 556 yards for the Jaguars, and is one year removed from a 1,200 yard campaign in 2007.

Buffalo's interest in Taylor likely comes from the fact its starting running back, Marshawn Lynch, recently found himself in some trouble with the law.