Colts Drawing Interest on Jonathan Taylor Ahead of Trade Deadline

We’re just about 10 days from the NFL trade deadline and things seem to be heating up around the league. After a slow start to the trade season, to quote venerable wrestling announcer Jim Ross, business is about to pick up over the coming days.

After the lone deal we saw in the first part of the season, the J.J. McCarthy deal that saw him move from the Vikings to the Giants, this week was busy. Indianapolis seemingly waved the white flag on their season this week. The Colts first dealt All-Pro guard Quenton Nelson to Seattle Tuesday afternoon. Meanwhile, they weren’t even done that day, as they dealt defensive tackle DeForest Buckner to San Francisco later that evening.

Now, ongoing reports say that the Colts are considering moving another star ahead of the deadline.

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Is Taylor the Next Colt Out the Door?

After holding the line about star running back Jonathan Taylor, reports came out Saturday that Indianapolis changed their tune. There are reports that the franchise has been in talks with several teams about Taylor. According to sources, at least one team has offered a second-round pick along with other compensation to obtain Taylor’s services.

There is no shortage of teams that could utilize the running back’s talents. For the season, Taylor enters the weekend second in the league with 140 carries this season. In addition, he is fifth in the league with 587 rushing yards and tied with Buffalo’s Josh Allen, Dallas’ Javonte Williams and San Francisco’s Christian McCaffrey with eight rushing scores. For good measure, he has 17 receptions for another 178 yards.

Who Could Be Kicking the Tires on a Deal?

As mentioned, there are plenty of teams that could have use for a 27-year-old back who has run for 8,185 yards and 77 scores in the NFL. There are a few teams that stand out above the rest, however, when you get down to brass tacks.

Let’s take a look at a few of the most likely candidates.

Green Bay Packers

Talk about a team that was hyped up for their ability to run the ball heading into the year. Instead, Josh Jacobs spent the first six weeks of the year on the commissioner’s exempt list. He’s been uninspiring since returning. For that matter, the whole Packers’ run game has been stuck in mud.

Green Bay averages a paltry 60.6 yards per game on the ground this season, dead last in the league by more than 14 yards a game. In addition, they average just 2.9 yards per carry, which also is last in the NFL. They have just three runs of at least 20 yards this season. Meanwhile, MarShawn Lloyd leads the Packers with 57 carries for 149 yards. That’s a 2.6-yard per carry average and his longest run is 12 yards. Green Bay needs a run game if they want to make a postseason run.

Denver Broncos

Denver is 5-2 on the season but a lot of it is smoke and mirrors. The Broncos have outscored the opposition by a grand total of three points in seven games. They lack explosive plays. Denver enters their rematch with the Chiefs this week with just 15 pass plays of at least 20 yards. Meanwhile, Bo Nix’s 62-yard touchdown run last week against Arizona was their first run of at least 20 yards ALL SEASON. That won’t get it done in January.

JK Dobbins leads the team with 293 yards on the ground but averages only 3.4 yards per carry. RJ Harvey has 24 carries for 87 yards and is out this week. Rookie Jonah Coleman outsnapped both of them last week but is a fourth-round pick who is a rookie. Can you trust a guy that, as of right now, has 19 career NFL carries in the postseason? I’d be skeptical.

Seattle Seahawks

Seattle is the defending Super Bowl champion. They also have a major issue with their run game after letting Kenneth Walker III walk in free agency. While the Seahawks got the upper hand on their former teammate Sunday night when they beat the Chiefs, it’s still a void they need to fill. While the addition of Nelson improves the offensive line, the backs could use an infusion.

Emanuel Wilson has 403 yards on the ground while averaging 3.6 yards a carry. In addition, George Holani has been worse, averaging three yards a tote on his 36 attempts. Reinforcements are on the way as rookie first-round pick Jadarian Price and Zach Charbonnet are due to return. That could happen as early as Monday night against the Bears. Still, neither is a proven #1 bell cow back like Taylor.

We’ll have to monitor and see what goes down. However, as it stands, it seems like Taylor may be the next former Indianapolis Colt to move ahead of the trade deadline.