When the Colts declined to sign Jonathan Taylor to a long-term agreement, the local and national debate focused less on his game-changing abilities and more on the worth of signing any running back to a big-money, long-term extension in today’s pass-happy NFL.
The conversation could already be changing.
Three weeks into Taylor’s three-year, $42 million extension, passing numbers in the NFL have plummeted, while rushing numbers have risen, with three of the NFL’s top six rushers — Philadelphia’s Saquon Barkley, Green Bay’s Josh Jacobs, and Baltimore’s Derrick Henry — signing big deals in free agency this offseason.
All of this is taking place while a healthy, reinvigorated Taylor appears to be himself again in Indianapolis, guiding an offense looking for passing game stability.
“J.T. is running it really good right now,” Colts head coach Shane Steichen stated. “He sees it clearly, is patient, and hits the openings. Obviously, hit a home run against the Bears. We demonstrated it at the team meeting this morning. It was impressive how he could press, cut back behind it, and then return to the front side.”
Taylor’s 29-yard touchdown run was the highlight of a 23-carry, 110-yard performance, which followed a 12-carry, 103-yard performance against the Packers in a game that left many wondering why the running back was not a bigger part of the Indianapolis game plan at Lambeau Field.
Taylor is still the Colts’ strongest offensive weapon five seasons later, with his explosiveness distinguishing him from the rest of the running back corps. For years, the NFL saw running back as a plug-and-play position, but Taylor’s vision, change-of-direction, and speed have always made him a threat to convert every run into a huge play.
The breakaway speed remains impressive, but Taylor’s vision and patience have been on display the past two weeks, sending the running back bobbing and weaving through traffic while he sets up defenders, drawing them into the path of a blocker before cutting back the other way and turning on the jets.
“I think it’s a really unique strength of his,” Colts offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter explained. “Some of those openings in the zone running game may develop later in the process, or a linebacker may react to something he sees from J.T., causing a front side gap to open up later than expected. He’s got a talent for seeing it, feeling it, and then accelerating like no other after that decision, that read, has been made for him.”
The ability to put one over the left-field wall has been vital to a Colts offense that has battled to string together drives this season, owing in large part to starting quarterback Anthony Richardson’s poor passing efficiency.
Taylor has had nine carries of 10 yards or more in the last two games, as well as two catches of more than 18 yards on screen plays.
And it is no longer as simple as it once was for a defense to focus solely on Taylor. Richardson averages 6.5 yards per rush as a runner, and while he has been erratic as a passer, the young quarterback’s ability to throw the deep ball must dissuade defensive coordinators from moving their safeties forward.
A defense stacks the box to stop Taylor at its own risk.
“We’ve got a big challenge in Jonathan Taylor,” Steelers coach Mike Tomlin told reporters in Pittsburgh on Tuesday. “That challenge is intensified because of Richardson’s mobility, and their willingness to use schematics regarding Richardson’s mobility.”
Richardson’s presence benefits practically all running backs.
Former Colts backup Zack Moss averaged 5.5 yards per rush in games Richardson started last season, but Moss averaged 3.8 yards per carry the rest of the year.
Taylor, who has averaged 5.0 yards per rush over his five-year career, can benefit from Richardson’s presence in ways that other backs cannot.
“The vision and the patience he has, it’s the best I’ve been around,” Steichen joked. “Without a doubt.”
The Colts recognized all of Taylor’s talents when they ultimately relaxed their hardline stance on his deal last fall, putting an end to months of turmoil by handing the running back the contract he had hoped for with the only franchise he knew in the NFL.
During the offseason, the market appeared to weaken slightly behind him.
Barkley and Jacobs both earn more than $12 million in average annual value. Houston traded for former Bengals star Joe Mixon and paid him more over $9 million per year despite his heavy workload. Derrick Henry signed a two-year contract worth $8 million per year despite being 30 years old this season.
And offenses have unleashed their running backs on defenses in the opening three weeks of the season.
Faced with a cascade of defenders playing their secondaries back to prevent deep throws, NFL offenses are scrambling to find answers to coverages designed to limit big yards.
One of those responses has always been to allow a talented running back slice through the light boxes in front of him, but now those running backs are up against defenses built to stop the pass, with personnel better suited to the passing game than playing downhill.
In the season opener, Indianapolis got caught in a predicament.
Playing back to limit Houston quarterback C.J. Stroud’s explosiveness, the Colts gave up 213 yards to Mixon and the rest of the Texans on the ground, then found themselves unable to handle Green Bay’s diverse, creative attack the following week before finally finding footing against an ugly Bears ground game.
“Teams want to see how you handle it,” Colts defensive coordinator Gus Bradley explained. “There are some talented running backs in the NFL. Every week, you’ll face someone who can run the ball. I believe that teams are recognizing that being one-dimensional makes the defense’s job much easier.
The Colts can’t afford to be one-dimensional on offense right now.
Richardson is way too raw.
The good news is that they have a running back who can carry more than his fair share of the workload.
Jonathan Taylor stats
Jonathan Taylor has rushed for 261 yards and 3 touchdowns on 51 carries this season, a 5.1-yard average. He has 3 catches for 57 yards. Taylor has rushed for 4,843 yards in his career on 976 attempts, a 5.0-yard average, and scored 43 touchdowns.
Jonathan Taylor contract
Jonathan Taylor signed a three-year, $42 million deal, with a $10,248,000 signing bonus and $26.5 million guaranteed, according to Spotrac.com. His base salary this season is $7,804,000 with a cap hit of $10,666,000 and a dead cap value of $23,152,445.
