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What's next for Jonathan Taylor and the Colts? A look at all the options
Nate Atkins
Indianapolis Star


INDIANAPOLIS -- Jonathan Taylor has a chance to come back and play for the Colts this week.

When he actually does is now the question.

Indianapolis' All-Pro running back is eligible to return from the Physically Unable to Perform List as early as Monday. Per NFL rules, he had to miss the first four games once the Colts placed him on the list to end the preseason, which they did for what general manager Chris Ballard described as pain in the ankle.

Here are the options facing Taylor and the Colts now:

When can Jonathan Taylor play?

The Colts can add Taylor back to the 53-man roster as soon as they wish, but they don't have to. They can open a practice window for him that keeps him on the PUP List but allows him to work with the team during the week in order to ramp back up to speed. They can keep that window open for up to 21 days.


So, it's possible that Taylor will stay on the PUP List until the start of Week 8 before he's added back to the active roster.

But Taylor has shown signs of returning to form. He posted a video to his Instagram in Week 1, showing him running a route and making a sharp cut on the ankle he had surgically repaired in January. He hasn't had a football practice since Week 13 of last season, so he could need some time to build up to the state needed to run the ball in games.


Could the Colts still trade Jonathan Taylor?

The Colts granted Taylor permission to seek a trade after he requested one in training camp, and though they didn't make a move before placing him on the PUP List, it is an option if the two sides still can't figure out a working relationship, or if a team blows them away with an offer. They have until Oct. 31 to work out a potential trade.

The odds of an offer blowing away the Colts appears to be low, considering Ballard said no team came close to the price tag in the preseason, and the return is only likely to get worse after Taylor missed the first four games. The Dolphins were one of the teams reportedly in the mix, but they have had no issue becoming the most explosive offense in the NFL without him. The Packers were another, and they do have a need for more offense, but that need might be too widespread for a running back to fix.

The Colts want to see Taylor bounce back from his ankle issues to run like the rushing champion he was in 2021, and other teams could feel the same way. Taylor shared the Instagram video early in the season to show a glimpse into those capabilities. But he might need to show it in games first. He could play up to four games before the Oct. 31 deadline, if he were to come back this week.


Does Jonathan Taylor want to play?

What the Colts and Taylor are allowed to do and what will actually happen are two different conversations.

This stand-off now dates back to the early part of the summer, when Taylor switched agencies and made his feelings known publicly about his desire for a new contract and the difficulty getting that message through to the Colts. Indianapolis had a track record of rewarding cornerstone players entering the final year of their first contract, from Quenton Nelson to Shaquille Leonard to Braden Smith to Kenny Moore II to Nyheim Hines.


It ramped up in July, when Taylor requested a trade the day he told the Colts he had pain in his ankle, and the team placed him on the Physically Unable to Perform List. Since then, he's taken his rehab off-site for a week, and he's mostly trained away from the rest of the team, avoiding all practices and games since the preseason began.

"The situation sucks," Ballard said at the end of the preseason. "I’m not going to sit here and give you some rosy picture like everything is OK. No, it sucks. It sucks for the Colts, it sucks for Jonathan Taylor and it sucks for our fans. It does.


"It’s where we’re at and we’ve got to work through it, and we’re going to do everything we can to work through it. Relationships are repairable. They’re repairable. Guys get emotional and take a stance. You’ve got to be able to work through those."



In August, Taylor's agent, Malki Kawa, tweeted "I doubt it" to a suggestion that the relationship could be repaired. Taylor has yet to rescind his request to be traded. But he also hasn't spoken publicly since July, so his full feelings on the situation remain a mystery until he does.

Ultimately, Taylor wants to be paid at a market rate for his position, which is between $12 million and $16 million annually, with multiple years and guarantees that allow him to feel right about the injury risk he assumes anytime he steps on the field. The Colts haven't wanted to extend that kind of offer, and they haven't been willing to promise that they won't use the franchise tag this year or next, which would pay him at least $10 million but offer no guarantees beyond that season.