The Indianapolis Colts reportedly will open the 21-day practice window for running back Jonathan Taylor on Wednesday as the team prepares to activate him from the Reserve/PUP list, per Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.
Taylor is eligible to come off the PUP list Monday following the conclusion of their Week 4 matchup against the Los Angeles Rams. The first step in doing so is opening the 21-day practice window.
Pelissero also reported that Taylor’s surgically repaired ankle is fully healthy and that there have been no recent trade talks involving the star running back.
The Colts plan to open the 21-day practice window Wednesday for star running back Jonathan Taylor , whose surgically repaired ankle is fully healthy after a stint on the physically unable to perform list against the backdrop of his offseason trade request, per sources.
There have been no recent trade talks between the Colts and other teams, sources say, though one source insisted multiple teams remain interested in swinging a trade for Taylor, 24, and signing him to a new contract in line with the NFL’s top backs.
If the Colts open the 21-day practice window, Taylor will be allowed to practice with the team for the first time since undergoing surgery in January. He was not permitted to do so while on the PUP list for the first four weeks of the season and had been doing rehab work at the team’s facility on his own.
Pelissero also reported that Taylor still wants a new deal and that the Colts are open to addressing it.
Due about $4.3 million in the last year of his rookie contract, Taylor still wants a new deal, and the Colts are open to addressing it. As of now, the Colts’ focus is getting the 2021 NFL rushing champ back on the practice field and getting him ready to play.
What happens after Taylor’s practice window is opened remains to be seen. Once that’s done, he loses a lot of leverage. When the practice window opens, Taylor must be activated before those 21 days are concluded. If he’s not, he will remain on the PUP list for the remainder of the season, which would toll his contract, pushing the final year of his rookie deal into 2024.
Essentially, the Colts would have until Week 8 to activate Taylor to the 53-man roster or move him in a trade if the practice window opens Wednesday.
Without a new contract, it seems Taylor’s trade request still stands even with his trade market dying down compared to the preseason.
We’ll see what happens if and when Taylor is activated, but opening the practice window will lead to some type of action one way or another.
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