There is a ton of change going on around the Indianapolis Colts with the firing of long-time head coach Frank Reich, and the surprising hiring of former Colts offensive lineman Jeff Saturday as interim head coach. With all the changes going on, they received great news on Tuesday regarding star running back Jonathan Taylor.
According to NFL insider Ian Rapoport, Taylor returned to practice on Wednesday after missing last week’s game against the New England Patriots.
From NFL Now: Good news (finally) for the #Colts, as RB Jonathan Taylor returned to practice today. pic.twitter.com/VuvPJURI3L
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) November 9, 2022
Taylor has been battling an ankle injury for the majority of the season, missing three games this year and not looking like his usual dominant self when he has been on the field this year.
With all the uncertainty around the team so far this year, many are hoping that Jonathan Taylor is now healthy and ready to lead the Colts’ offense moving forward.
There's a part of me that sees the narrative of a new coaching staff with no play-calling experience being conservative and giving the ball to Jonathan Taylor a whole bunch – if he plays.
— Jon Helmkamp (@JonHelmkamp) November 9, 2022
Jonathan Taylor returned to practice today. None of us know anything about Jeff Saturday and the new play caller … but I’d imagine the former offensive lineman who is against analytics will try to establish the run
JT is the only Colt you can trust this week
— Michael F. Florio (@MichaelFFlorio) November 9, 2022
And there it is, Jonathan Taylor once again a buy-low option with a new coaching staff in place
Deon Jackson now just a pure ‘cuff https://t.co/UN8bi11LXT
— Adam Koffler (@AdamKoffler) November 9, 2022
Jonathan Taylor hasn't scored more than 15.5 fantasy points in a game since Week One.
— Ryan McDowell (@RyanMc23) November 8, 2022
Jonathan Taylor fantasy managers take a sigh of relief. 😮💨 pic.twitter.com/d1Nwl6RdIk
— theScore Bet (@theScoreBet) November 9, 2022
Taylor is coming off a season where he led the NFL in rushing with 1,811 yards along with 18 rushing touchdowns in 2021.
With Jeff Saturday now at the helm, it is certainly possible that the Colts start to lean on their run game more frequently if he is able to play in Week 10.
While he seemingly still has a ways to go to potentially suit up against the Las Vegas Raiders this weekend, this is a very positive step in the right direction for a Colts team that is looking for answers.