Jonathan Taylor has been granted permission by the Indianapolis Colts to seek a trade, and several teams would receive a significant boost to their 2023 prospects with the addition of the franchise running back.
The chances of a deal being made before the start of the regular season remains to be seen, as the Colts reportedly are asking for a first-round pick or a package of draft picks in exchange for the 2021 NFL rushing yards leader.
However, SportsBetting.ag is offering odds on 10 potential destinations for Taylor, with the Miami Dolphins leading the way at +200. The Chicago Bears are next at +250 after the market opened at +300, followed by the Buffalo Bills at +500.
Jonathan Taylor Next Team Odds
- Miami Dolphins (+200)
- Chicago Bears (+250)
- Buffalo Bills (+500)
- Baltimore Ravens (+700)
- Denver Broncos (+800)
- Dallas Cowboys (+800)
- Washington Commanders (+1000)
- Minnesota Vikings (+1400)
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (+1400)
- Philadelphia Eagles (+2000)
The Dolphins’ backfield currently includes a quartet of veterans in Raheem Mostert, Jeff Wilson Jr., Salvon Ahmed and Myles Gaskin, along with rookie third-round pick De’Von Achane.
The Bears might appear to be a better fit on paper. Khalil Herbert is the No. 1 back following the departure of David Montgomery over the offseason, and he’s currently backed up by veteran D’Onta Foreman and rookie fourth-round pick Roschon Johnson.
The Bills are another intriguing proposition. Former New England Patriots running back Damien Harris was signed to team with speedster James Cook. Veteran journeyman Latavius Murray was added to the mix and Buffalo was tied to rumors over the offseason with Cook’s brother, Dalvin, who signed with the division-rival New York Jets.
Each of the 10 teams on the list have some sort of question mark in their backfield, from which of the bevy of veterans will be healthy for Baltimore to who can adequately back up Tony Pollard in Dallas.
Denver is counting on Javonte Williams in his return from a torn ACL, and the Broncos added Samaje Perine in free agency, while the Vikings are counting on some mix of Alexander Mattison, Kene Nwangwu, Ty Chandler and seventh-rounder DeWayne McBride to replace the massive void created by Dalvin Cook’s release.
Damaged Goods?
The other hurdle for teams interested in Taylor is assessing his health. He attended practice Tuesday for the first time in two weeks, but remained an observer.
Taylor is dealing with an ankle injury and informed the Colts he wanted to move on after a face-to-face meeting with team owner Jim Irsay. Irsay informed Taylor that a long-term contract offer would not be extended until the end of the 2023 season.
Taylor, who is on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list after offseason ankle surgery, left the team twice during training camp, ostensibly to rehab his ankle out of state.
Taylor is in the final year of his contract and has a base salary of $4.3 million. Given recent contracts for players at the position, it’s unclear where Taylor’s asking price with the Colts was set or if he’d consider a short-term deal to grease the wheels for a trade out of Indy.
The Colts shared no details about the rehab protocol or process in place and head coach Shane Steichen effectively stopped discussing Taylor’s status last week.
“Now, he’s finishing his rehab process,” Colts general manager Chris Ballard told SiriusXM NFL Radio. “Hopefully, as we move forward here, we’ll get him back. But we need to get him 100 percent healthy before we do anything.”
An All-Pro in 2021, Taylor led the NFL in rushing that year with 1,811 yards. In his three NFL seasons, he has amassed 3,841 yards on the ground with 33 touchdowns, and 802 yards receiving with three scores.
–Field Level Media (@FieldLevelMedia)
