Washington Commanders Make Jonathan Taylor Trade Call - True or False?

The Washington Commanders are on a list of teams making Jonathan Taylor trade calls to the Indianapolis Colts.

As Indianapolis Colts All-Pro running back Jonathan Taylor sits one game away from coming off the injured list and helping ... somebody ...

Are we hearing "reports" on a new future team? Or are we hearing "educated guessing''? Or worse, "speculative gossip?"

The Washington Commanders have suddenly been connected to Taylor by a media outlet that we can politely say is not one of the usual suspects. But as we are an equal-opportunity disbeliever, we'll also chide ESPN for some goofy guesswork as to Taylor's destiny.

First to Taylor and Washington: According to A to ZSports writer Destin Adams, seven teams have inquired about Taylor: the Bills, Chiefs, Commanders, Dolphins, Packers, Rams and Steelers.

As Adams phrases it: "I was given a list of teams who have expressed interest in acquiring the All-Pro RB, and here it is."

Jonathan Taylor

That's an unorthodox way of stating it. But ignoring that: Does it ring true?

And this is where we ask ourselves ... Can the Bills afford Taylor? Do the Chiefs need him? Don't the Dolphins, Packers, Rams and Steelers already have their guys?

And in Washington, while Taylor is obviously superior to any back on the roster, is there wisdom in the move? Maybe. But we still don't know if there is veracity in the report. And given the fact that at least five of the seven mentioned teams seem like an imperfect match - or, well, seem flat wrong - we wonder if the mention of Washington is flat wrong, too.

Now, just to assure you, Dear Reader, that we're not beating up on an unknown writer ... let's beat up on two nationally recognized NFL guys.

The Worldwide Leader has its butts (and its "buts") covered in a new "report'' covering Taylor's coming Week 5 move off IR and onto the field ... for somebody. According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano, in a behind-a-paywall piece, the answers aren't really answers. They're just guesses from the two sportswriters.

So, Graziano writes “it wouldn’t surprise me” if Taylor's first game of the season is with a new team. But that's sound-and-fury stuff; there's no prediction there. He also claims, “The time since the preseason has mellowed out the market a bit and maybe created more fertile ground for a deal."

That doesn't seem right at all to us. What's the "mellow"? Where is it "fertile?" Graziano said the Browns are “more motivated to make a deal than they want us to believe after the Chubb injury." Good. Sounds like a scoop! Except ... his ESPN teammate Fowler responded by saying he thinks Taylor isn’t going anywhere.

“I think he stays put. For as much as Taylor would like to be dealt - and heck, the Colts are probably cool with it at this point, too - I don’t see a team that’s clamoring to give up a day two pick for a running back,” Fowler said.

Meanwhile, the A to Z guy doesn't mention the Browns at all. ... which puts the A to Z piece in the same class as the ESPN piece. It sounds more like "educated guessing" than it does "news."