Colts: 3 players Carson Wentz will make better in 2021

2. Jonathan Taylor

There’s no denying that Jonathan Taylor’ sluggish start last year was attributed to the fact he was thrust into the starting role earlier than expected following Marlon Mack’s season-ending injury.

However, we’d argue that the play of Philip Rivers, who threw more interceptions (five) than touchdowns (four) over the first five games, also contributed to Taylor’s struggles.

Though the 2020 second-round pick hit the ground running down the stretch of the regular season, he could’ve enjoyed a more well-rounded rookie campaign had a more dynamic quarterback been running the Colts’ offense.

Colts fans should expect a big leap from Jonathan Taylor in Year 2.

Given that Rivers didn’t pose any semblance of a threat as a scrambler, it was fairly easy for opposing defenses to game plan for Indy’s offense. More often than not, Taylor faced stacked boxes. For as nimble and powerful as the Wisconsin product is between the tackles, any rookie running back would struggle finding holes with a physically-limited QB under center.

That figures to change in a big way with Wentz taking over. While you could argue that both players will make each other better, the former No. 2 overall pick’s dynamism should create an abundance of opportunities for Taylor to pick up chunks of yards on early downs.

That will help set up play action, which is when the Colts can truly open up their offense…including potentially taking shots down the field, which brings us to our next player.