Bucs Urged to Trade for NFL Rushing Champ: ‘Serious Contenders’

Getty Jonathan Taylor, Colts running back and potential Bucs target

After four weeks in exile, Colts running back Jonathan Taylor returned to practice this week and, in doing so, appeared to end the standoff he’s had with the team over a new contract. While it is likely that Taylor now will play out the year with Indy, NFL insider Dianna Russini of The Athletic reported that the Colts could still be lured into a deal.

The Bucs should be the team doing the luring, according to the latest NFL trade Big Board from Bleacher Report. Tampa’s running backs have been a major disappointment, which would be acceptable except that the rest of the team has been surprisingly good in an otherwise meh division.

“While teams have been reluctant to value running backs highly, Taylor’s impressive 2021 season—which included a league-high 1,811 rushing yards—could garner significant interest.” B/R wrote.

“The 3-1 Tampa Bay Buccaneers might want to consider making a move for Taylor. The Bucs have become serious contenders in the NFC South thanks to steady play from quarterback Baker Mayfield. However, Tampa is tied with the Las Vegas Raiders for the lowest yards-per-carry average (3.0) in the league.”

Todd Bowles Unhappy With Run Game

It was after the Bucs’ Week 3 loss that coach Todd Bowles took a swipe at his own rushing attack, as Bowles told reporters, “We didn’t have one. We’re not going to sit here and sugarcoat anything.”

Tampa attempted to overhaul its running game in the offseason, jettisoning veteran Leonard Fournette and cementing second-year back Rachaad White in the top role. The Bucs also signed Chase Edmonds and Sean Tucker, but those two have combined for 43 yards this season. Mayfield has been Tampa’s No. 2 rusher, with 61 yards on 23 carried.

White has not been great, either, having logged just 206 yards on 63 carries, an average of 3.3 yards per rush. He said on the “Fully Loaded” podcast this week that running backs coach Skip Peete has been pushing him to “run angry.”

“He be on me. Like I ain’t going to lie. He be on me,” White said, via JoeBucsFan.com. “[He’ll say,] ‘You’re a big back, dude. You got bigger [in the offseason]. You’re a big back.’ … He loves it when I run like more angry and violent and things like that.”

Jonathan Taylor Could Change Bucs Fortunes

Getting more aggression out of White would be nice, but simply getting Taylor would be a surer bet, and the Bucs should be looking for a sure thing, especially now that they’ve secured that Week 4 win in New Orleans, who was the division favorite to start the season.

Despite the relative quiet on the Taylor-Colts front, Russini wrote that the Colts are not negotiating a new contract with him and that, as long as that is the case, the trade window could yet be reopened. It would likely cost a second-round pick.

“According to multiple league sources, there is no deal on the table to trade Taylor from Indianapolis despite him requesting a trade this summer …” she wrote.

“Unless the Colts get an offer that blows them away, Taylor is going to remain with the team. Indianapolis is looking for what league sources term a Day 2 draft pick for their star running back, and I sense the team doesn’t feel any urgency to move on. Those league sources say the Colts haven’t engaged in any serious talks with any teams.”