DECEMBER 20: As expected, Taylor has landed on IR. The Colts have last season’s rushing champion signed for one more season. Taylor will be eligible for an extension in January. Indianapolis is signing fifth-year running back Jordan Wilkins off its practice squad, Aaron Wilson of KPRC tweets. It is a two-year deal for Wilkins, Wilson adds (on Twitter).
DECEMBER 19: The Colts were without their lead running back for nearly the entire game during their historic loss to the Vikings on Saturday, and they now face the prospect of finishing the season without him. Jonathan Taylor has a high ankle sprain, and is “highly unlikely” to play again in 2022, reports Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link). 
Taylor has battled ankle issues throughout the campaign, his least productive in the NFL so far. He had missed three games prior to Saturday, and this latest injury comes with a recovery timeline which would likely make a return before the end of the regular season improbable. Given the Colts’ 4-9-1 record, the team would have little need to take anything but a cautious approach to Taylor’s health. A meeting with team doctors will take place later today.
The former second-rounder entered the season with sky-high expectations after he led the league in rushing yards and touchdowns in 2021. He, like the offense in general, has not met those expectations, though Taylor has still managed to record 1,004 scrimmage yards and four touchdowns in a lost season. His yards per carry average (4.5, down from 5.0 and 5.5 in his two previous campaigns), however, could be cause for concern moving forward.
With Taylor likely to be sidelined for the final three games of the year, Indianapolis will continue to rely on Zack Moss and Deon Jackson at the position down the stretch. Their 37 combined carries on Saturday point to an emphasis being placed in the run game to close out the season, as quarterback Matt Ryan has struggled with turnovers and interim head coach Jeff Saturday looks to make his case for an opportunity to become the full-time bench boss in 2023.
That will likely be the next time Taylor is available, barring a change of heart between himself or the medical staff in the near future. The 23-year-old could join star linebacker Shaquille Leonard on IR after the latter’s season-ending back surgery, a procedure which marked another disappointing turn in 2022 for the Colts.
They absolutely ran him into the ground last season..so this isn’t totally surprising. Do the right thing and shut him down. They’ll need him back at 100% next season, as we all know they won’t bother adding a competent QB to the team.
You’re a moron if you think averaging 19.5 carries per game is “running him into the ground.” 30 carries per game is probably that & he seldom hit that for even a game. 25 is probably the benchmark for a bell cow RB. This year the average was even below last year. Easy to sit there after the fact & try to spout off on something you really don’t have a clue about.
Such a tough guy!
@CincySapper 2; nice take. I agree he has been over used but over a period of time. The one pre draft negative that kept teams away was heavy work load in college. Father time may be catching up to him. More injuries to come?
After what the lame Vikings did on Saturday, adding a competent team would should be the next step.
The Colts abused Taylor last year much like the Wisconsin Badgers abused him in college 17,18,19 It’s gotta make u wonder how long his body will hold up in the future or if this year is what will be normal for him going forward
Interesting to see the spike in injuries this year. I wonder what could have changed from previous seasons…
High – have you ever sprained your ankle before? You know, just messing around; maybe playing a sport or running, or maybe mowing the lawn? And, did you look at your life over the past few years to see if maybe there was an underlying cause, you know, maybe your wife expected too much work or your friends shouldn’t have asked you to play some dumb game? Didn’t think so. It just happens, stop climbing on the media machine of “there has to be someone to blame.” IT JUST HAPPENS!
@High Attitude; agreed; but to me, more noticeable over the past couple of years. Gus Bus, Dobbins and Peters of Ravens all going down preseason with season ending injuries in 21 is what got my attention.
It seems there are so many ways to keep players playing these days that by the time a player is shut down in 2022, he’s really hurt. Normally more stars should be sitting out two to four games mid-season with light injuries.
Immediate rest is what an injury needs.
Shutting down Taylor would be a good investment in both his future and the team’s future.
@AlecK: cool take. I think you’re on to something! Cheers.