The AFC’s running back picture is already taking shape in a few different ways, and the contract side of it is looming large in Indianapolis.
Jonathan Taylor is heading into the final season of the three-year, $42 million deal he signed with the Colts, and Joel Corry of CBS Sports says he could be next up for a new extension. Corry expects Taylor to be aiming for a number near the top of the running back market, and if a deal doesn’t get done, he calls Taylor a “prime candidate” for the franchise tag.
In Jacksonville, Bhayshul Tuten is trying to turn a promising rookie year into something bigger. He finished his first season with 307 rushing yards and seven total touchdowns, and Jaguars head coach Liam Coen said Tuten stood out during spring camp after showing plenty of upside as a rookie.
“Yeah, Tuten I thought had a really good spring. You know, year one coming from Virginia Tech, and really was North Carolina Central to Virginia Tech, and man, so he had a little bit of a learning curve to, with the protections and a lot of the things that comes with playing running back as a rookie,” Coen said, via John Shipley of SI.
“You look at the playoff game against Buffalo. You look at some of the other games down in the red zone.
He does a great job of finding the end zone, he does, and his yards after contact and rushing yards, man. When he can get going and get downhill, I mean, he was 4.28 coming out.
So he can fly.”
Coen also said Tuten spent last season being very careful with the ball, and now the Jaguars want him to loosen up and play with more freedom in 2026.
“Now it’s more so, he was so conscientious about ball security last year and doing right. Okay, now Tuten, you got it.
You understand it more. Now just go be you, like go do what got you here.
Go be special, that’s who you are. And we’re definitely expecting Tuten to have a big year for us.”
Houston has its own backfield battle brewing, and Jawhar Jordan is trying to hang onto a spot after a late-season surge. He was the only Texans running back to top 100 yards last year, doing it after a Week 15 call-up from the practice squad. Jordan ran 15 times for 101 yards against the Cardinals and finished the season on the active roster.
Now he’s trying to keep that momentum going even with more competition in the room, and the early feedback has been positive.
“The consistency, he’s playing faster than he was last year,” Texans RB coach and assistant HC Danny Barrett said via KPRC’s Aaron Wilson. “He’s always had the ability with great vision, good footwork. Now, he’s playing faster on third downs as opposed to first and second downs, which is what we wanted to get him involved more so in the passing.
“And you can see he’s improved that part with the hands and everything. Again, it gives us another option in the backfield, in our room, if we have to use it.”
In Other News...
Colts Swing Tackle Battle May Already Have An Undrafted Favorite
The Colts have a familiar offseason theme playing out again up front, with a cluster of undrafted free agents trying to carve out jobs and, in particular, a swing tackle role that always carries outsized value. Nolan Rucci and Bayron Matos are among the young tackles in the mix, and Indianapolis has given itself reason to believe it can keep finding useful pieces in that part of the roster by developing linemen who arrive without much draft pedigree.
Rucci, in particular, is drawing the kind of attention that can turn a camp battle into a real roster conversation. His physical traits and upside have put him near the front of the pack, and the Colts track record with undrafted offensive linemen only adds to the intrigue. The question now is whether that promise shows up quickly enough for him to become a trusted swing tackle before the roster starts to take shape. [Read more 🡒]
Colts Just Got Pulled Into Another Quarterback Debate Fans Dread
The Colts have spent enough time in quarterback uncertainty already, so it is no surprise that another outside suggestion would land with a thud. Bleacher Reports latest idea tied Indianapolis to Minnesotas J.J. McCarthy as a possible backup option, a move that would only add another young passer to a room already trying to sort out where Anthony Richardson fits and how much stability the team really has behind him.
McCarthys profile does not exactly scream clean solution, either. He has battled injuries, is still trying to prove he can hold down an NFL job, and comes with a contract that would ask Indianapolis to pay more for a quarterback who might not be any more settled than the one already on the roster. With Riley Leonard also in the mix, the Colts may have a cheaper and simpler answer in-house, which is why this latest quarterback link feels less like a fix and more like another reminder of how unresolved the position still is. [Read more 🡒]
Shane Steichen Just Gave Colts Fans A Troubling Alec Pierce Update
Alec Pierces offseason has taken a more complicated turn than the Colts probably wanted when he went under the knife in late March to address an ankle issue he had been playing through. Shane Steichen said the wide receivers target is to be ready for Week 1, which at least gives Indianapolis a clear benchmark, but it also leaves the team waiting on a player who has become an important part of the passing game.
The uncertainty matters because Pierce was expected to use the offseason to get back on track, not spend it rehabbing a surgery that has already pushed his timeline into the summer. For a Colts offense trying to build continuity, every missed practice rep counts, and the closer this recovery gets to the start of the regular season, the more the team has to think about how it will manage his workload if he does make it back on time. [Read more 🡒]