Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor was ranked as the sixth-best running back in the NFL entering the 2023 season, according to ESPN’s poll of executives, coaches and scouts.
Taylor, who held the No. 2 spot on the list last year, is coming off a season in which he failed to reach 1,000 rushing yards for the first time in his career—certainly due to the fact that he appeared in just 11 games because of a nagging ankle injury that required offseason surgery.
The five backs ranked ahead of Taylor include Nick Chubb, Christian McCaffrey, Josh Jacobs, Saquon Barkley and Derrick Henry. Here’s what they said about Taylor’s ranking amongst his running back peers:
Highest ranking: 2 | Lowest ranking: 10
Age: 24 | Last year’s ranking: 2After a historic 2021 campaign with 1,811 rushing yards, 18 touchdowns and an All-Pro bid, Taylor looked poised for the top spot for years to come.
But his 2022 campaign was challenging, missing six games with an ankle issue and running behind a porous line.
The Colts ranked 23rd in run block win rate in 2022, compared to seventh the year before.
As one NFL personnel executive sees it, this reality showed the strengths and shortcomings of Taylor’s game.
“He’s got top-end speed and can get the tough yards, but he’s not a creative guy who can do it on his own,” the executive said. “He needs it blocked up and then he can make it happen.”
Taylor is just two seasons removed from his 2021 campaign in which he led the NFL in yards after contact, missed tackles forced, first downs and rushes of 10 or more yards while posting top-three numbers in yards after contact per attempt and breakaway percentage.
Running backs can’t post numbers like that without being creative, regardless of how well an offensive line performs. We also have to remember Taylor’s ankle injury occurred in Week 4, and he played through it until he simply couldn’t anymore.
Taylor now enters his fourth season looking to bounce back from that nagging ankle injury while hoping to secure a long-term deal with the Colts.
And if he does so while returning to form, this ranking is likely going to look pretty rough.
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