Source: Cooper Neill / Getty
Now that the majority of the offseason is complete for the NFL, it’s time to discuss one of the biggest winners for the Indianapolis Colts. The obvious answer is Anthony Richardson, so throw that name aside.
In 2021, the best running back in football was Jonathan Taylor. Taylor ran the ball 332 times for 1,811 yards and 18 touchdowns in his second season. Carson Wentz was second in carries with 57 followed by Nyheim Hines with 56 carries.
When you look at the 2024 roster for Indianapolis, right now, the Wisconsin product was one of the biggest winners from the Colts offseason.
Trey Benson, Evan Hull, and Tyler Goodson are the current running backs on the Colts depth chart. Hull and Goodson are primarily known for their abilities to catch the ball out of the backfield. Benson put up good numbers at Ohio State, but only has 78 carries after his third season in the league.
After four years with the horseshoe, Taylor has compiled 925 carries. He will be entering the first year of the four-year extension he signed last year when the season starts. Once he got his legs back underneath him last year, he started looking like the dominant force he was in 2021 despite opposing teams trying to take him out of the game.
First 5 Games:
- 62 carries 254 yards and 1 rushing touchdowns
- 15 receptions 131 yards and 1 receiving touchdown
- 4.1 yards per carry
- 3 games averaging below 4.0 yards per carry
Last 5 Games:
- 107 carries 487 yards and 6 rushing touchdowns
- 4 receptions 22 receiving yards
- 4.6 yards per carry
- 3 games averaging above 4.0 yards per carry
Chris Ballard could go out there and sign a veteran running back to spell JT like Zack Moss did the last five weeks of the season, but it doesn’t sound likely.
The reason why Colts fans should be excited about Jonathan Taylor in 2024 is because of some of the moves the Colts didn’t make.
Josh Downs should improve as he continues to develop, Taylor and Richardson should have more than two snaps together on the field, and retaining Michael Pittman Jr. Additionally, the team added an explosive wide receiver in Adonai Mitchell that should open up the run game more.
ESPN.com‘s Indianapolis Colts beat reporter, Stephen Holder, joined Query & Company Tuesday afternoon and gave his perspective.
To listen to Jake Query and Jimmy Cook’s conversation with Stephen Holder, download the podcast containing the conversation below! You can always listen to the Query & Company from 12pm-3pm on 93.5/107.5 The Fan. You can also watch and interact with the show by going to the 107.5 The Fan YouTube Channel.
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Jonathan Taylor is poised for a big workload in 2024 was originally published on 1075thefan.com
