Since he joined the league by way of a second-round draft selection back in the infamously virtual 2020 NFL Draft, Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor has remained one of the league’s best pure runners of the football. As of recent, there have even been flashes of an emergence altogether, which, of course, should strike fear into opposing NFL defenses.
He’s second among running backs leaguewide in rushing yards since he entered the league, and is one of just four running backs to eclipse
5,000 rushing yards in that span. Additionally, Taylor is one of three running backs to total more than 50 rushing touchdowns since he joined the league. It’s been well-documented that the 26-year-old running back is a star with the ball in his hands, but until recently, physically handing him the ball was the safest way to get Taylor involved. Nowadays, however, the sixth year back is flashing signs of an evolution.
The mere idea of a former All-Pro running back like Jonathan Taylor improving is a scary thought to have. After years of struggling to stay on the field on third downs due to a lack of hands, both as a passcatcher and in pass protection, Taylor has seemingly turned a corner — as he so often does on linebackers who try to beat him to the sideline.
Taylor had some success through the air to start his career, operating mainly on screens to the average tune of 300 receiving yards and 1-2 TDs off of an 85% catch rate. However, Taylor’s production as a passcatcher has dropped off over his past three seasons. Plummeting to an average 69% catch rate over that span, Taylor’s subsequent production fell off as he’s only averaged 144 receiving yards and 1 touchdown over those three seasons.
His drop rate fell a percentage point from 7% across his first two seasons to his next two; however, Taylor’s 2024 campaign was his worst yet. According to Pro Football Focus, his drop rate skyrocketed to a career-high 14.3%, and when you couple that with his career-worst 58.1 catch percentage, it’s fair to assume that a massive rebound would take years of development as opposed to a turnaround coming from a singular offseason. So far through two weeks, there have been flashes of a whole new pass-catching back entirely.
Taylor has hauled in all five of his targets through two games, totaling 77 receiving yards and a TD, but the biggest difference in those five reps is how comfortable he looked as a receiver. He’s not just hauling in the wide-open throws that used to sometimes result in concentration drops; Taylor is ensuring the catch is made before taking off, is running routes effectively, and is, most importantly, catching the ball like it’s his job.
That’s not it, though. In order to be trusted as the go-to third-down back, you can’t just be a reliable option in the passing game. You also have to be a trustworthy pass protector, and as far as this position typically operates, you’re not finding such prowess in a stereotypical bell-cow back like Taylor. And while that’s certainly not been the case for Taylor to start his career — pass pro had been deemed as poor of a trait as his rushing ability was good — it’s as if he’s all of a sudden figured it out. In his defense, he’s been trying to aid the offensive line in blocking defenders for several different quarterbacks in his time in Indy. Regardless, Taylor had been deemed an awful pass protector through five seasons in the NFL, and through two games in his sixth season, he’s seemingly blossomed. Here are his pass-blocking grades over the years, per Pro Football Focus:
It’s undoubtedly a small sample size, but Taylor’s never even put up a semi-promising stretch like he has this season. For whatever reason that’s yet to be unveiled, Jonathan Taylor has turned himself into a third-down running back; therefore, he can, in theory, take on a workload that considers him to not be just a bell-cow rushing back, but an every-down bell-cow out of the backfield.
Most of the time, all a back needs is a willingness to put his body on the line more than technique to shore up blocks, and so far, Taylor has showcased both. The Colts already had one of the best running backs in the league, but if he can truly evolve into becoming an every-down, dominant back among all facets, there’s no telling what type of ceiling Jonathan Taylor can reach.
Jonathan Taylor was already one of the best pure runners in the entire league, and he still is, as he leads the NFL in rushing through two weeks with 236 rushing yards. If he levels up both as a passcatcher and in pass protection? You now have to deal with Taylor every down. That missed flat to Tyler Goodson in the 2023 regular season finale to win the AFC South vs Houston? There’s no ‘why isn’t the best player in there’ conversation with this. No longer are we nitpicking the throw versus the route or the catch. With a revelation like that, Taylor could afford the Colts offense an unforeseen ceiling.
