The Colts don’t sound eager to keep Jonathan Taylor on the same punishing track forever.
Taylor has been one of the league’s heaviest-used backs, and only two running backs in the NFL have topped 300 carries in each of the last two seasons. Indianapolis, though, would clearly like to see that streak stop there. The reason isn’t performance - Taylor has been excellent, piling up 3,016 yards and 29 touchdowns on 626 carries - but the wear and tear that comes with that kind of load.
Running backs coach DeAndre Smith said the team wants to ease some of that burden and keep Taylor fresher over the course of games and the season.
“We definitely need to find ways to take some of that workload off him,” Smith said, via Stephen Holder of ESPN.com. “If I can find another guy or two that can take some of those carries off, he’s just going to be that much better.
So, it’s definitely been a constant conversation. I’m aware of it.
When he’s healthy, we’ve got a chance to win every game. So, that’s always the first thing I think about: making sure he’s available every week.”
That concern is rooted in Taylor’s recent availability. He played every game in 2025, but he missed three games in 2024 and 13 games over the previous two seasons.
The issue for Indianapolis is that the current depth chart doesn’t offer an obvious answer. Fifth-round pick DJ Giddens carried the ball just 26 times as a rookie, while seventh-rounder Seth McGowan and a group of undrafted free agents sit farther down the list. If none of those backs makes a quick impression in camp, the Colts may need to look outside the roster for help in lightening Taylor’s load.
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