Is the NFL Giving Colts' Jonathan Taylor Short End of the Stick?

Jonathan Taylor isn't just the catalyst that propels the Indianapolis Colts' offense; he's also one of the best running backs in the NFL. In fact, on any given gameday, he's the premier of his position.

League executives, coaches, and scouts support this narrative. Jeremy Fowler at ESPN previewed what the league had to say by ranking the 10 best running backs in the league.

For Taylor, he rests firmly in fifth place behind Christian McCaffrey, Saquon Barkley, Jahmyr Gibbs, and Bijan Robinson. Here's what one NFL coordinator had to say on the gamebreaking back.

"Really special in space.

Once he hits the second and third levels with some space to operate, he's uniquely talented."

Uniquely talented is an understatement. When Taylor is on, he is nearly unstoppable, regardless of how much the opposing defense is ready for his skills.

JONATHAN TAYLOR 80-YARD HOUSE CALL!

TENvsIND on CBS/Paramount+https://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/6pVfiMe3kX
— NFL (@NFL) October 26, 2025

Taylor dominated the NFL yet again in 2025. While he tapered off later in the season, he still compiled a wildly impressive stat line that featured 1,585 rushing yards, a career-best 378 receiving yards on 46 catches, and a league-best 20 all-purpose touchdowns.

There was a point when Taylor was in the MVP conversation alongside fellow teammate and Colts QB, Daniel Jones.

However, after the Week 11 bye, Taylor's production dipped. This, of course, began when Jones fractured his fibula, followed by a torn Achilles that ended his season and sent the offense into a spiral.

Some Colts fans may take a glance at Taylor's fifth-place ranking and believe he's getting the shaft. However, when looking at players like McCaffrey, Barkley, Gibbs, and Robinson, one thing stands out as to why they're ahead of him.

They're much better as receivers out of the backfield.

Below are the number of catches and receiving yards for all four backs who Taylor trails in the rankings.

Christian McCaffrey: 102 catches, 924 receiving yards
Saquon Barkley: 37 catches, 273 receiving yards
Jahmyr Gibbs: 77 catches, 616 receiving yards
Bijan Robinson: 79 catches, 820 receiving yards

While Barkley's receiving metrics aren't as good as Taylor's in 2025, it's fair to say he's always far more of a pass-catching threat than Taylor. Barkley has had as many as 91 catches in a season before (2018).

The good news here is that Taylor was featured more than ever in the passing attack, which gave him the football a whopping 369 times to pair with his league-best 323 rushing attempts.

Jonathan Taylor runs with the football and tries to locate a crease in the defense. — Dec 28, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor (28) runs during the first half against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Goddin-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Taylor is entering his seventh season in the NFL, and while there's always room to improve, he's likely never going to be the receiving threat that McCaffrey, Barkley, Gibbs, or Robinson are.

However, that's not a bad thing, because Taylor is more of the style of the Baltimore Ravens' bruiser, Derrick Henry. Taylor can take a ridiculous workload out of the backfield and bludgeon defenses as the game unfolds to eventually break them in the long run.

It's still encouraging that he had the best season of his veteran career last year as a pass-catcher, and he'll look to build off of that in 2026.

Seeing Taylor not in the top three may upset some fans, but when examining the whole picture, it makes sense why.

Regardless, Taylor is one of the NFL's deadliest offensive weapons, and he'll be needed more than ever to help Indianapolis win the AFC South crown and reach the playoffs to keep things intact for the future.

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