Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor has had a tumultuous few weeks. Things between him and the organization have gotten very rocky as the state of the running back market has impacted their relationship.
Jonathan Taylor has made it clear that he is hoping to land a long-term contract, which he believes he deserves. But, shortly after training camp opened, Colts’ general manager Chris Ballard made it clear that no such offer was going to be made to Jonathan Taylor this offseason.
Potentially as a result of that, the star running back reported to camp and was immediately put on the physically unable to perform list with an ankle injury. He did undergo a procedure on his ankle this offseason, but he was not one of the players expected to be sidelined at the start of camp.
Things got worse when Colts owner Jim Irsay made some bizarre comments about the situation. Indianapolis also claimed that Jonathan Taylor had a back injury, which he denied. It all culminated in him leaving training camp to rehab off-site.
He returned to training camp this week but didn’t last long before he left again. This time Jonathan Taylor had an excused absence as a personal matter came up. It is anyone’s guess what the issue could have been, but one potential reason is that trade talks are in the works.
According to a former NFL executive that spoke to NFL Analysis Network, there are rumors swirling that the Colts are talking to the Miami Dolphins about a deal centered around Jonathan Taylor.
“I don’t know if anything is going to get done, but I think the Dolphins and Colts have discussed a trade involving Jonathan Taylor. There’s been an awful lot of buzz there.”
That would be quite a blockbuster deal to complete. The Dolphins have been in the market for a running back this offseason as they were connected to Dalvin Cook for months. But, Cook ultimately ended up signing with the New York Jets instead.
Miami is in need of a running back upgrade as their ground game wasn’t very strong last season. The entire backfield was retained in free agency and a draft pick was used on Devon Achane out of Texas A&M.
While Achane has some potential, if the opportunity to acquire Jonathan Taylor exists, the Dolphins need to jump at it. Improving the running game in 2023 is imperative to Miami taking that next step and becoming an upper-echelon team in the AFC.
