Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor looks like his old self at training camp.
He’s feeling good, healthy, and focused, which is a big change from last summer when he showed up with an injured ankle and a downbeat attitude due to a tough contract dispute.
His teammates noticed this positive change, seeing it as a sign that Taylor had resolved his issues with the team. Now, they hope his return to his cheerful self will also bring back his top performance after struggling with injuries in the past two seasons.
“Just having JT here, with his influence, leadership, and energy, it’s great knowing he’s past those tough times,” linebacker Zaire Franklin said after Sunday’s hot practice. “Having him on the field is important. He’s the best back in the league.”
That was certainly the case in 2020, when Taylor rushed for over 1,000 yards after taking on a bigger role due to an injury. It was also true in 2021 when he won the NFL rushing title, beating out two-time champ Derrick Henry.
In just two seasons, Taylor had become one of the top backs in the league. He ran for nearly 3,000 yards and 29 touchdowns, and caught 76 passes for 659 yards and three more scores.
However, injuries changed his career path. In 2022, he missed six games due to a sprained ankle, finishing with 861 yards and four touchdowns. He also had offseason surgery, which kept him out of all of Indy’s 2023 offseason workouts, training camp, preseason, and the first four games of the regular season, right as he was entering the last year of his contract.
Suddenly, Taylor was making headlines for all the wrong reasons. He became the face of the league’s underpaid running backs, had a public meeting with team owner Jim Irsay in his motorhome during a Colts practice, and even made his trade request public. The team then allowed Taylor to look for a trade partner.
