ESPN’s John Clayton takes a look at Tiki Barber‘s options once free agency is open. Clayton’s Top Five list consists of: the Pittsburgh Steelers, St Louis Rams, Miami Dolphins, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the New England Patriots in that order.
I can see why Clayton mentions these teams but the real problem is that the main reason that these teams are listed is because of their need for a complimentary running back, not because they have specific interest in Barber and the drama that he’s going to bring to their team.
Pittsburgh, St Louis, and Miami are in need of a legitimate No. 2 running back which is why it makes very little sense for them to bring in a 36 year old veteran who hasn’t played since 2006.
Tampa could be lobbied by his twin brother Ronde but they’ve shown very little interest in the idea so far.
The Patriots make the most sense considering their track record for using veteran running backs in recent years. Kevin Faulk, Sammy Morris and Fred Taylor will all be free agents so there is a good chance that they add a veteran player to their backfield. The real issue with the Patriots is that if they choose to retain BenJarvus Green-Ellis, they’ll have to find carries for Danny Woodhead, Shane Vereen, Stevan Ridley and Green-Ellis which makes it hard to assume that Barber will see much of any playing time come next season.
I’ll honestly be amazed if Barber is able to find a team that’s willing to give him shot at earning consistent playing time but I guess strange things do happen in the NFL from time to time.
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