Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor hasn’t practiced on Wednesday or Thursday this week but hasn’t yet been ruled out of Sunday’s game in Jacksonville.
So, if Taylor is going to be available this week, what needs to happen?
“Really being able to move around,” said Taylor at his locker on Thursday. “Really being able to get in and out of cuts, being able to explode, burst because especially at my position, defensive back, those are all heavy cutting positions. So that’s the biggest thing.”
According to the Indy Star’s Joel Erickson, while Taylor didn’t practice on Thursday, he did say that he would do a few things to gauge where his ankle is at.
Taylor suffered the injury in the fourth quarter of the Colts’ win this past Sunday over the Pittsburgh Steelers. Taylor said the current ankle sprain is not as severe as the one he worked through in 2022 that forced him in and out of the lineup.
Against a very good Steelers front, it was tough sledding for much of the game for Taylor, especially without the running threat of Anthony Richardson in the backfield, but he still managed to average 4.2 yards per carry on 21 attempts.
Success for the Colts offense starts with Taylor and the run game. Having a strong run game to lean on can be a quarterback and the passing game’s best friend, helping to set up short down-and-distance situations.
This week, the Colts face a Jacksonville defense allowing 3.9 yards per carry. If Taylor can’t go, it will be Trey Sermon and Tyler Goodson at running back for Indianapolis.
The Colts will be back on the practice field Friday.