INDIANAPOLIS - The Colts aren’t treating Jonathan Taylor like a player on the way out.
At least not yet. And Shane Steichen made that clear when he pushed back on the idea that Indianapolis should hold Taylor out just to protect his trade value. His stance is simple: if Taylor is on the roster, he plays.
That approach could matter again this weekend against Dallas, where Taylor would fit neatly into a game plan built around the ground attack. The Cowboys have the league’s worst rush defense, both in total yards and yards per carry, and the Colts would have every reason to lean on the run to attack that weakness while also keeping Dak Prescott on the sideline.
Taylor was active in Sunday’s rain-soaked game at Jacksonville’s EverBank Stadium, logging 38 snaps. He carried eight times for 23 yards and was involved as a receiver too, drawing five targets and catching four passes for 24 yards.
“There’s a lot of stuff out there right now,” Steichen said. “He’s on our football team, and he’s excited for this opportunity to go play. He wants to go win this game.”
Steichen repeated the same message when the conversation turned to trade speculation.
“There’s a lot of hypotheticals out there, on the trade talks right now,” Steichen said. “He’s on our football team.”
For now, the Colts are still using Taylor as part of a backfield rotation. Indianapolis has started giving him some rest for the first time in his career, and rookie Seth McGowan has earned a role of his own. McGowan is averaging 4.4 yards per carry and has 163 rushing yards this season.
Taylor, meanwhile, ranks eighth in the NFL with 610 rushing yards through the first eight games. The Colts have often paired him and McGowan as a one-two punch, and that looks like the plan until the roster says otherwise.
“People are going to call, that’s just part of the business,” Steichen said. “You’ve got to be a professional and show up to work.”
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