The Indianapolis Colts haven't been shy about their excitement to get a fully healthy Jonathan Taylor back on the field.
The combination of Taylor working with dual-threat quarterback Anthony Richardson should result in some elite production from the run game, and it's partly why the former got such high praise in Pro Football Focus' running back rankings.
In ranking the NFL's starting running backs, Thomas Valentine put Taylor back into the elite tier of running backs while dishing out some high praise.
Taylor hasn’t hit the heights of his 2021 season in the past two years, but he still rushed for 741 yards and seven touchdowns in 10 games, earning a 74.9 grade in 2023. Off-field tension plagued Taylor and his relationship with the Colts early on, but once he was back on the field, it was back to business.
His 3.12 yards per contact was the 16th-best mark in the NFL, and his 4.4 yards per carry ranked 22nd. With a fully healthy offseason under his belt, Taylor will head into the season looking to take back the NFL’s rushing title.
Taylor was ranked third among NFL running backs behind only Christian McCaffrey and Derrick Henry.
It has been a rough two seasons since Taylor lead the NFL with 1,811 rushing yards in 2021. He dealt with injuries and an incredibly poor offense in 2022. Then, there was the contract drama going into 2023 followed by a thumb injury that forced him to miss a few games in the second half of the season.
But Taylor is back now and working with Richardson should open up plenty of lanes behind an offensive line that bounced back in a major way during the 2023 season.
It wouldn't be a shock at all if he was back in the competition for the NFL's rushing title.
For more Colts coverage, check out Kevin Hickey's work on Sporting News.
