Shane Steichen explains plan for Jonathan Taylor, as RB returns to practice for Colts

Jonathan Taylor hasn’t practiced with the Indianapolis Colts since the team prepared for a 2022 Week 15 matchup against the Minnesota Vikings. Since then, Indy had the largest blown lead in NFL history, Jeff Saturday went from coaching the Colts back to working on TV at ESPN, Indy hired Shane Steichen and drafted Anthony Richardson, and Jonathan Taylor had ankle surgery.

That surgery ultimately kept him out all of the offseason program, and led to Taylor opening the season on the PUP list and having to miss the first four games of the year. Because of that, Taylor hasn’t participated in a practice with Steichen or Richardson. That will change on Wednesday. For the first time of this new era of Colts football, Jonathan Taylor will be an active participant in practice.

Colts announce that Jonathan Taylor will return to practice

Head coach Shane Steichen made this announcement on Monday when speaking with the media. Steichen explained that Taylor is heathy and “super excited” to get back on the field with his teammates. His teammates have battled to a 2-2 record so far this season, and have been a much better team than expected.

With all four teams in the AFC South currently sitting at 2-2, the Colts have a chance to make some noise this year, and Taylor could definitely help with that. Now that he’s set to return to practice, everyone wants to know when he’ll return to the lineup and play in an actual game.

When will Jonathan Taylor play for Colts?

When a player is on the PUP list, teams are allowed to open a 21-day practice window. During that window, the player is eligible to practice with the team, and can be activated at any moment. At the end of the window, the team must decide if the player is going to be activated or sidelined for the rest of the year.

So when it comes to Jonathan Taylor, he could be added to the active roster at any moment, and join the Colts on the field as soon as Sunday, when they take on the Tennessee Titans. In fact, Steichen explained that the plan is to see how Taylor looks in practice, then they’ll go from there, execiting fans by saying there’s a chance that Taylor suits up and plays in Week 5.

Everyone is thrilled to see Jonathan Taylor on the field with Anthony Richardson. Both are dynamic runners, and they could give defenses fits. Add in Zack Moss, who’s been playing well, and it’s easy to envision Shane Steichen scheming up a wicked run game.

Of course, the idea that Taylor is eventually traded is still floating around, but the Colts still really want to keep Taylor, and it seems unlikely that any team is willing to offer a trade package that will make Indy change its mind. That means the NFL world should soon see Jonathan Taylor in a game with the Colts. But first, practice on Wednesday.

READ MORE