NFL Trade Rumors: 5 Teams That Should Call San Francisco About Taylor Mays

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Word broke Thursday afternoon that the San Francisco 49ers sent out a mass email to every NFL franchise making it known that safety Taylor Mays was officially on the trading block.

There will undoubtedly be ample interest in the former USC Trojan. Mays is one of the bigger safeties in the league, and he can run with any receiver he finds himself defending.

The fact that he is only a second-year player and 23 years old won't hurt his value either.

In particular, there are five teams that should try to work something out with the 49ers for the dynamic Mays.

Houston Texans

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After last season, it was no secret the Texans had to do all they could to improve their pass-defense.

So far this offseason, they have done a solid job of that by drafting six defensive players in the 2011 draft and snagging free agent defensive backs Johnathan Joseph and Danieal Manning.

They could still stand to do more. Manning will likely start at free safety, but there is a still a hole at strong safety. Troy Nolan has some playing experience in Houston, and 2011 draftee Shiloh Keo is a player the Texans are high on, but neither player inspires a ton of confidence.

Mays would step in and start right away to complete a tremendous offseason for Houston.

Seattle Seahawks

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Taylor Mays heading to Seattle would be like something out of a movie.

Mays' college coach, Pete Carroll, is the head coach in Seattle, but things have been less than cordial between the two ever since Carroll and his Seahawks passed over Mays in the draft. Mays blamed Carroll's passing on him for his precipitous drop in that year's draft.

This would be a perfect situation to let bygones be bygones. The Seahawks need a starting strong safety, and maybe Carroll is the one who knows how to get the very best out of Mays.

Both sides seem to need each other to some degree, and who doesn't like a good story anyway?

St. Louis Rams

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The Rams were a surprise team last season as they finished just one game short of a postseason berth. They think they are ready for a playoff run this season, but their roster could still use upgrading.

Specifically, the Rams could use a safety. Their best safety, O.J. Atogwe, left the team prior to the lockout. As it stands now, the Rams will be choosing a starting safety from a group of guys that includes Dionte Dinkins, Tim Atchison and Craig Dahl.

St. Louis has a solid stable of cornerbacks led by Al Harris and Bradley Fletcher, but they need the safeties to match to take pressure off those corners.

Mays would come in and start right away. His speed would give comfort to Harris and Fletcher that they will have help in defending the passing game, and Mays' hard-hitting ways will help the linebackers defend the run.

The Rams' roster feels a little bit incomplete if they are looking to make a playoff run. I'm not saying the addition of Mays makes them Super Bowl contenders, but it would certainly go a long way toward solidifying their position as contenders for the NFC West title.

Dallas Cowboys

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The Cowboys are never shy about making a splashy move, and this would qualify. Mays is a household name, particularly to those who follow college football, and he would bring much-needed skill to the Cowboys' pass-defense.

You certainly can't expect their defense to be much better with the likes of Gerald Sensabaugh, Barry Church and Andrew Sendejo manning the safety positions.

While Sensabaugh is a solid player, I don't think his presence would keep Mays from coming right in and starting.

The Cowboys badly need to find players to give support to their talented group of cornerbacks, and Taylor Mays is that type of player.

Washington Redskins

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The reasons the Redskins made this list are easy to spot. Their pass-defense was atrocious last year, and led by aggressive owner Dan Snyder, the Redskins love to make headlines.

The 'Skins gave up the second-most passing yards in the league last season, and poor play from their defensive backs has a lot to do with it.

Their most talented safety from last season, LaRon Landry, is on the road back from an injury. That leaves the safety position in the mean time in the hands of players like Chris Horton and Reed Doughty.

Mays would immediately unseat any of the other safeties on the roster for the starting job and would help the Redskins' defense as they try to claw back to respectability.