FanHouse TravisTaylor

It's an old story by now: two years ago, then-Florida wide receiver Chad Jackson had a jaw-dropping NFL combine. He busted out a 4.3-something 40, smoothly ran routes and snagged passes, and he subsequently saw his stock go through the roof.

In the days and weeks leading up to the draft, he, along with Santonio Holmes, were the two highest-rated wideouts and thought to be first-round picks. As it turned out, only Holmes went in Round 1, but the Patriots traded up in the second round to grab Jackson, who was supposed to replace Deion Branch.

Didn't come close to working out that way; he caught just 13 passes for 152 yards his rookie season, and played in just two games last season without registering a reception. There was speculation that this could be Jackson's make-or-break year, and according to the Boston Globe's Mike Reiss, the verdict's in: break.

The Rams gave Drew Bennett a six-year, $30 million contract in the offseason. Through six games, Bennett has 94 yards and a touchdown. Extrapolate that across 16 games, and you're looking at 301 yards. But it's unlikely that Bennett even plays 16 games, because he suffered a hamstring injury last week against Baltimore. His status is unknown. Money well spent, eh?

Because Bennett's injury leaves the Rams with Torry Holt and two of the three Stooges, the Rams had to dip into free agency, inking former Raven draft pick Travis Taylor. It's been a long fall for Taylor, a former 10th-overall selection. He never lived up to expectations, failing to ever break 1,000 yards, and had his best season in 2002, when he caught 869 yards and six touchdowns in Baltimore. To be fair, he managed to tally 651 yards and three touchdowns in Minnesota last year, which, all things considered, is sort of miraculous.

That being said, if anyone thinks Taylor is going to improve the Rams offense or offer anything more than a warm body, I've got a bridge to sell you. And if you're a Rams fan, you get double value -- you can even jump off of it.