Dallas Cowboys fans have switched their demeanor when it comes to the trade deadline barreling it's way towards the NFL landscape. Deals have to be consummated by Tuesday afternoon, and with their club sitting with a 3-5 record and losing to some of the worst opponent situation one may find, most fans are allergic to the idea of sacrificing more future picks to try and salvage 2026. Trading away talent? That makes sense to far more people.
That's the situation that Sunday's Week 9 opponent, the Indianapolis Colts, find themselves. Indy has fired their longtime GM and already jettisoned two of their star players in guard Quentin Nelson and DT DeForest Buckner. The speculation for the last week is that Jonathan Taylor, the three-time Pro Bowler
and 2021 rushing champion, could be on the move. That hasn't happened yet, but if there's a chance he's being moved, it'd make sense that the Colts would sideline him tihs week.
Is Jonathan Taylor playing Sunday against the Cowboys?
There are many interesting parts to this discussion. For one, the 2-6 Colts don't own their first-round pick, sending it to the NY Jets last year to acquire CB Sauce Gardner. Tanking does them no good.
There are three teams that seem keen on acquiring Taylor's services for their stretch run; the Minnesota Vikings (6-1), New York Giants (4-2-1) and the Denver Broncos (6-2). NFL Insider Jesse Palmer reported as much on Nov. 5; all three are currently in first place of their respective divisions.
But despite the rumors, and with his tenure clearly in thin ice, head coach Shane Steichen appears ready to heed the wishes of his star player, who wants to go out and win this game.
“He’s on our football team, and he’s excited for this opportunity to go play. He wants to go win this game.”
The matchup against the Dallas defense couldn't be more attractive if they tried. The Cowboys have given up 1,222 rushing yards, worst in the NFL, through eight contests. They've given up over 160 yards on the ground in five of their clashes, and over 200 in two of their last four games.
Taylor has yet to crack 100 yards rushing in a game, but has topped 90 yards five times. He, and the club, are apparently willing to risk injury in order to put an exclamation-mark performance on his resume before he is potentially traded out of Indianapolis.
Fantasy owners should have Taylor locked in their lineups in Week 9.
This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: Is Colts RB Jonathan Taylor playing today vs Cowboys?
