Jonathan Taylor is one of the best running backs in the NFL, but he has caused quite a stir in recent days.
He has been seeking a contract extension, but he hasn’t reached an agreement with the Indianapolis Colts, and thus he has asked to be traded.
Colts owner Jim Irsay vehemently declared that he will not trade Taylor, but there may be a long way to go before that dust settles on this issue.
Former linebacker and current analyst Emmanuel Acho says that while he likes the fact that Taylor is standing up for himself, the timing is poor.
.@EmmanuelAcho: I love what Jonathan Taylor’s doing, I just don’t like the timing. pic.twitter.com/Q3t7zgW0VL
— Speak (@SpeakOnFS1) July 31, 2023
Acho said that Taylor’s trade request looks bad because it comes after a season in which the running back dealt with an ankle injury and saw a big drop in his production.
He ran for 861 yards and four touchdowns in 2022 after posting 1,811 rushing yards and 18 rushing touchdowns the year before and leading the NFL in both categories.
The market for running backs across the league is at an all-time low, and it has gotten to a hyperbolic level, as stars such as Taylor, Saquon Barkley, and Josh Jacobs aren’t being paid their fair value, at least according to many.
There is a growing feeling that running backs are dispensable and interchangeable, but it is hard to make such an argument about someone such as Taylor, at least when he is healthy.
Indianapolis suffered through a miserable 2022 season in which they benched starting quarterback Matt Ryan and fired head coach Frank Reich, and they badly need some stability and hope.
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Stats Show Jonathan Taylor’s Productivity With Colts Since 2020
