Jonathan Taylor’s peers have put him back among the NFL’s elite.
The Colts running back landed at No. 17 on the NFL’s Top 100 Players list for 2026, marking only the second time he has appeared on the ranking. His first came in 2022, when he checked in at No. 5 after a breakout First-Team All-Pro season in which he led the league in rushing yards.
Taylor’s return to the list comes on the back of a huge 2025 campaign, one strong enough to earn him a two-year, $44 million extension that keeps him in Indianapolis through 2028. It was the kind of season that reminded everyone how dangerous he can be when he’s rolling.
He piled up the league lead in carries with 323, rushing touchdowns with 18, total touchdowns with 20 and rushing first downs with 84. He finished second in touches at 369, third in rushing yards at 1,585 and yards from scrimmage at 1,963, eighth among running backs with 15 receiving first downs, and tied for 10th in yards per carry at 4.9.
Taylor also put together a string of big games. He had eight outings with at least 100 yards from scrimmage, including three games over 150, and reached at least three touchdowns in five different contests.
According to NFL.com, Taylor was especially hard to bring down early in the year. Through the first 10 games, he led the NFL with 4.7 yards after contact per carry and posted a forced missed tackle rate of 35.4%.
The 2025 season also showed a more complete version of Taylor as a receiver. The three-time Pro Bowler set career highs in pass targets with 55, receptions with 46 and receiving yards with 378, while matching his best mark with two receiving touchdowns. He also set new personal bests in receiving first downs at 15, receiving success rate at 54.5% and pass protection grade at 58.6, according to Pro Football Focus.
One of his biggest moments came in Week 10 on the international stage in Berlin, Germany, when the Colts faced the Atlanta Falcons. Taylor handled the ball 35 times and produced 286 yards of offense and three touchdowns, finishing it off with the overtime game-winner.
Taylor has now led the NFL in carries, rushing touchdowns and total touchdowns twice. He also snapped Edgerrin James’ Colts career rushing touchdown record of 64 last season and is now 1,629 rushing yards behind James’ franchise mark of 9,226.
On top of that, Taylor sits fifth in NFL history in rushing yards per game at 90.5, trailing only Jim Brown, Barry Sanders, Terrell Davis and Eric Dickerson.
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