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Colts activate RB Jonathan Taylor to play vs. Titans
Joel A. Erickson
Indianapolis Star








INDIANAPOLIS — Jonathan Taylor is back.

The Colts activated Taylor off the reserve/physically unable to perform list on Saturday, making the running back eligible to play against the Titans after a tumultuous offseason that saw the homegrown star try to force his way out of Indianapolis.

Taylor, who spent most of the offseason and the first four games of the regular season rehabilitating his ankle after offseason surgery to clean up debris left by the high ankle sprain that cost him six games, publicly requested a trade and eventually sought a deal with the team’s permission, a deal that ultimately never came together.

But Taylor is back on the field, back in uniform and playing, leaving questions about the furor of the offseason unanswered, preferring instead to focus on the task at hand.


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“I’m here right now, and my No. 1 thing is to take care of my teammates,” Taylor said this week. “A lot of people are worried about what I want, what I want. It doesn’t matter what, necessarily, I want. What matters is what this team needs, what this team wants, what this city wants, what this city needs, and what this city needs is a championship. While I’m here, that’s what I’m going to work my tail off to do.”


Taylor has been activated in the first week eligible, preparing to play a game after just two days of full practice this week.

“Conditioning-wise, he looked good,” Colts head coach Shane Steichen said. “Again, it’s been a while since he’s been out there, but he looked good the last couple days.”

The Colts do not seem concerned about Taylor’s lack of work so far this season, both in Steichen’s offense or with rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson.


“I mean, we got good work in the past couple days with those guys,” Steichen said. “The exchange stuff, the zone-read stuff, we worked really hard at it the last two days. I feel good about it.”

The position Taylor plays, running back, is also one of the positions where it’s easier to hit the ground running. A wide receiver needs to build a little chemistry with the quarterback, but the running back position is a little bit more instinctive, allowing a player to get into action right away.


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And there is precedent for players to hit the ground running even after time away from the team. San Francisco defensive end Nick Bosa, Kansas City defensive tackle Chris Jones and New Orleans running back Alvin Kamara, among others, all returned to full workloads immediately after long absences this season.

The Colts are apparently confident that Taylor can do the same.

“He did a good job running the football, seeing the holes,” Steichen said. “He’s a veteran player, he’s played a lot of football, and shoot, he looked good.”

Taylor declined to address his contract desires this week.

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But it’s likely that they will take a backseat to the play on the field. After an offseason spent trying to find a path out of Indianapolis, Taylor’s best path to the long-term deal he wants might be to play for the Colts, play well and remind the rest of the NFL how much of a difference-maker he can be at peak strength.


“I don’t think it matters if I’m saying I’m committed or not,” Taylor said. “I’m here. If somebody wasn’t committed, they wouldn’t be here.”

Taylor is here now, back off the PUP list and ready to go.

And it sounds like the Colts plan to use him.