The Indianapolis Colts kept playing Jonathan Taylor even as he was in the middle of trade rumors.
Particularly if Taylor does get traded by Tuesday’s deadline, there will be plenty of questions about why that really happened.
But the reality is that the Colts may have wanted some leverage. They may have wanted to remind teams just how good Taylor is. They also may have wanted to convince teams they weren’t a sure thing to deal him, that they’d have to come in with a great offer.
Whatever the reason, it couldn’t have hurt the Colts’ cause if Taylor went off in the last few weeks.
Instead, he had just eight carries last week, and he was relatively inefficient on Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys.
If that was Taylor’s final game, it wasn’t great — and it likely didn’t raise his trade value at all.
Jonathan Taylor’s Trade Stock Changed
Taylor’s value wasn’t going to change much based on Sunday, but the relative struggles against the Cowboys can’t have helped.
“Arguably the best player available at this year’s trade deadline didn’t do much to boost his stock,” Daniel Mader of The Sporting News wrote on Sunday. “All eyes have been on whether the Colts will deal Taylor, one of the NFL’s best running backs for years. But even against a lackluster Dallas defense, Taylor finished with 13 carries for 46 yards and five catches for 18 yards. By his standards, it was a poor showing. And it didn’t help that Taylor also lost a fumble.”
Right from the start, it was an odd day for Taylor. He got the Colts’ first five RB carries, and he also had Indy’s first reception — and then their first points came from backup Seth McGowan, who powered in from two yards out.
Taylor maintained the backfield lead, but McGowan made some plays too, and he’ll be a name worth remembering if Taylor does get traded.
At this point, it’s a waiting game for the Colts’ fanbase to see what they do with Taylor.
Jonathan Taylor Good News
The Colts got one bit of really key news about Taylor on Sunday: He stayed healthy.
That was the one risk of playing Taylor in the midst of trade rumors: What if he got hurt? Would the Colts then be stuck with him?
That’s not a worry now. There are no more games before the deadline. Either Taylor will get traded or he won’t, but his health won’t have an impact.
Colts’ Jonathan Taylor Trade Stock Changed