There's no argument of any worth against Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor being one of the NFL's top rushers in today's game. He is, and has been for the past five years, and will likely remain one of the best for a few more years. The Colts believe this, given the two-year, $44 million contract extension they gave him earlier in August.
Hanging on to Taylor was one of the best decisions Colts general manager Chris Ballard made this summer, rather than letting it become a lingering conversation over the regular season and risking it next summer. At the end of the day, Taylor is where he belongs, as a top running back, where he belongs.
That said, he's not the best rusher in the league. That honor goes to the likes of Saquon Barkley, Christian McCaffrey, Bjon Robinson, Jamhyr Gibbs, and King Henry—Derrick Henry. The Baltimore Ravens back is still chugging along like the freight train that he is, which Taylor recently pointed out is one reason Henry is the standard at NFL running back.
Indianapolis Colts' RB Jonathan Taylor says why his position is the most skilled
Taylor has sung Henry's praises for years, even publicly calling for a league MVP crowning in seasons past. Unfortunately, Henry has yet to be crowned as such, as he should have been by now. In any case, it takes one to know one, and a great running back like Taylor knows who Henry really is and how important the 11-year veteran has been not just to the NFL, but to the running back position.
While speaking to former ESPN NFL analyst and commentator Ryan Clark on The Pivot, Taylor went to great lengths to highlight Henry's impact, pointing to his insane level of production and unmatched consistency over a long career.
Furthermore, Taylor lauded Henry's sustained excellence in his later years as a Raven, when many running backs are on a downward trend once their years move into the double digits.
Taylor only speaks the truth—Henry has not hit a wall since joining Baltimore, rushing for 1,921 and 1,595 yards in each season, with a third pending, including 32 touchdowns over the past two seasons. For this and other reasons, Taylor treats Henry's consistent high-level performance as a career benchmark to emulate, or, in other words, the standard.
Since he and Henry are running backs, Taylor also explained why he believes his position is the most skilled on the football field, at a time when there seems to be a resurgence in running backs' importance across the NFL. Players like Taylor and Henry are driving this resurgence.
According to Taylor, the value toward running backs is shifting, and Henry is the "position's standard-setter." As for why Taylor picks his position as the most skilled, it comes down to rushers needing a rare combination of toughness, quickness, intelligence, strength, and the ability to improvise on every play.
"I honestly believe that running backs are the most skilled on the field," Taylor said on The Pivot. "You do a lot of things, but I think sometimes people take it for granted because it's like, 'Oh, they do the dirty work,' but we do a lot."
It's an exciting time in the NFL, with a new crop of running backs tearing the league up like Robinson in Atlanta or Gibbs in Detroit, and others. Henry, however, is the standard because, when running backs should have slowed down by now, he hasn't. Taylor's praise of the future Hall of Famer is without blemish.
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