Imagining the current makeup of the Indianapolis Colts without running back Jonathan Taylor seems impossible. If he is healthy enough to play, he is going to be featured in the offense. At times, such as against the Atlanta Falcons last season, when Taylor had 286 total yards, he is the offense.
So, why would general manager Chris Ballard entertain the thought of trading Taylor? He wouldn't, not unless the GM wants to lose his job soon thereafter. Without Taylor, the Colts are a greatly diminished team. Yet, Bleacher Report's Alex Kay suggests that maybe Indy could move on from the running back.
Even worse, and making the move even less likely to happen, Kay proposes that Indianapolis could move Taylor to an AFC South rival, the Tennessee Titans. That would not only make the Titans better, therefore making Indianapolis's job of winning the division tougher, but the Colts would then have to face Taylor at least twice a season.
Bleacher Report analyst suggests the Indianapolis Colts trade Jonathan Taylor
In return for the iconic running back. Tennessee would send Indy 2027 second- and third-round draft picks, and a 2028 third-round draft pick. That's a decent haul, and no team is probably going to offer a first-round choice for a running back, though Taylor might be one of the few exceptions.
From Ballard's standpoint, he should accept nothing less than a first-round selection plus another. Jonathan Taylor is simply far too valuable for the Indianapolis Colts to trade. The player is also just 27 years old. Even though he has been used a lot, he should still have several years left to be elite.
Head coach Shane Steichen's scheme requires the Indianapolis offense to run the ball effectively, and that wouldn't happen without Taylor. The backups behind him are mostly unproven and nowhere near his skill set. Basically, trading Taylor would be an immediately fireable offense for Chris Ballard due to making his team worse and a division rival better.
Alex Kay wrote in a recent article about five stunning trades that could follow the one involving Myles Garrett, the Los Angeles Rams, and the Cleveland Browns, "With Taylor set to be a free agent next offseason, the Colts could get ahead of a potential departure by dealing him for draft capital. There are plenty of hopeful contenders with a hole in the backfield that would love to add a star like Taylor into the mix."
The logic there is sound, which makes the overall argument for trading Jonathan Taylor not completely off-base, but dealing him to the Titans is outlandish. A wiser option would have Kay suggesting that the Colts deal Taylor to a needy NFC team at the trade deadline if no extension is worked out by then and Indianapolis's season is going south.
By that point, Chris Ballard should likely see the proverbial writing on the wall that his time with the Colts is coming to a close, and he might as well help the next general manager by adding some draft capital. Ultimately, Indy trading their star running back is likely a non-starter.
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