It didn’t take long for Jonathan Taylor to become a productive player in the NFL. As a rookie, Taylor grabbed the starting running back spot for the Indianapolis Colts and ran for more than 1,000 yards. After just his second season, Taylor was arguably the best running back in football, leading the NFL in rushing yards and rushing touchdowns.
Now, Jonathan Taylor is preparing for his fourth season in the NFL. He’s also preparing to get paid. After establishing himself as one of the best players in the NFL, it’s time for Taylor to get extended, as the 2023 season is the final year of his rookie contract. When Taylor and his agents go to the negotiating table with the Colts, they’ll be able to say that Taylor has done something in his first three years that no other running back has.
On Tuesday, the NFL GameDay account tweeted out a graphic that showed the three-best rushing yards per attempt for running backs with at least 750 attempts in their first three seasons. Jonathan Taylor was atop the talented list of running backs, averaging 5.1 yards per carry in his first three seasons. He was the only running back with more than 5.0 yards.
Pretty pretty good list to be at the top of @JayT23 😮💨 pic.twitter.com/wmoOxe4dln
— NFL GameDay (@NFLGameDay) July 12, 2023
Jonathan Taylor has best yards per attempt of running backs in their first three seasons
As shown on the list, Taylor has surpassed some of the greatest backs in NFL history. While he’ll have to produce for many more years to be considered one of the greatest ever, he certainly has the skill and is on the right path. It’ll just be important for Taylor to stay healthy and keep producing.
As a rookie, when Taylor ran for 1,169 yards, he averaged 5.0 yards a carry. In 2021, when he led the league in rushing yards with 1,811 yards, Taylor averaged 5.5 yards per rush. As everyone knows, the 2022 season was Taylor’s worst, only playing in 11 games and recording 861 rushing yards. However, he still managed an impressive 4.5 yards per carry.
Taylor will return healthy for the 2023 season, and the offensive line is also expected to be better for the Colts. If that happens, and Jonathan Taylor stays healthy all year, he should definitely be back around the 5.0-yards-per-carry mark.