Colts urged to find Jonathan Taylor contingency plan

2026-04-07 · Yahoo Sports

Colts urged to find Jonathan Taylor contingency plan originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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The Indianapolis Colts' biggest offensive weapon over the past five or so seasons has been running back Jonathan Taylor, and rightly so.

The All-Pro back has been superb, and often the bell cow for the Colts' offense, but that comes with a lot of wear-and-tear.

In three of his six NFL seasons, Taylor has totaled over 300 carries, which is a lot of punishment that he has taken on.

But now playing on the final year of his contract in 2026, what Taylor's future looks like beyond this year is a little murky, which is why Bleacher Report's Alex Ballentine thinks the Colts have to look at drafting a running back this offseason.

"Jonathan Taylor had nearly 2,000 total yards and 20 touchdowns so the idea of using one of those picks on a running back might not be popular," Ballentine wrote. "But this isn't about 2026, it's about 2027 and beyond. Taylor is set to play the final year of his current contract in 2026.

"At that point, he'll likely be a 28-year-old back with over 1,800 career carries. It's the sad reality that the Colts need to have a contingency plan at the position. Drafting a back they trust to help carry the load could extend Taylor's prime and provide financial flexibility if extension talks don't go well."

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Could Colts really move on from Taylor?

Given what he means to the franchise and how much of a central figure he is to the offense, I find it hard to believe that the Colts would look to move on from Taylor.

Granted, the NFL is a never-say-never league, but Taylor not being a Colt would be shocking.

But as we know, everything has a price, and if Taylor wants, say, for example, between $15 million APY and $20 million APY, Indianapolis will have something to consider.

So maybe drafting a back to be behind Taylor and learn the ropes might not be a bad idea for the Colts to try. You don't want to assume Taylor will be a Colt for life, so it makes sense to hope for the best, but to prepare for the worst.

And drafting a running back covers the Colts if the worst-case scenario were to happen.

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