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I know, I know. There are cautionary tales of backs paid after three years. There are a lot of ways to fill that position that don’t cost $13 million per year. In this particular case, you have a guy coming off an injury-riddled year.
Here’s my counter—think about your quarterback.
In the same way that Todd Gurley was once huge for Jared Goff’s development and Ezekiel Elliott was integral to how the Cowboys brought along Dak Prescott, having Taylor alongside Anthony Richardson would, in my mind, allow for Shane Steichen, Jim Bob Cooter and the Colts’ coaches to build an optimal environment to play their young quarterback early and allow him to grow through it.
The one thing I heard over and over again about Richardson before the draft is how, unlike a lot of other quarterbacks tagged with the “raw” label, he actually probably needs to play more than he’d benefit from sitting. The reason? Sitting a guy is often to try to break him of habits formed in an offense that isn’t applicable to the NFL. In Richardson’s case, his playing time was so minimal in college, it’s almost like there aren’t habits. In the truest sense of the term, he really is a ball of very talented clay for the coaches to shape.
And because he didn’t play much in college, he hasn’t seen much, and it’s on the Colts to try to make sure that changes, and changes quickly. So he’ll get a lot of reps in joint practices with the Eagles and Bears. He may play a lot in preseason games, too, and ultimately there’d be nothing that’d build the football library in his head faster than throwing him out there and playing him in the regular season—provided Indy believes (and I think it does) that the expected ups and downs won’t shake his confidence.
So how does Taylor play into all of this? Easy. He’s the focal point of the offense. He’ll become an even bigger threat with the fear that Richardson’s running ability strikes into defenses. He’ll allow the coaches to get into second-and-6 and third-and-2 more routinely, which will allow them to manage the quarterback’s play as they see fit.
And if it helps you get the most out of Richardson’s first couple of years in the league, to have Taylor there, well, I don’t think you can put a price tag on that. Again, I get it. Paying running backs can be a scary thing. But in reality, you’ll probably be giving Taylor less than what, say, Hunter Renfrow got in Vegas. If that helps your quarterback develop, then it’s more than worth the freight, even if there’s a year on the back end that doesn’t feel great.
(Also, Taylor’s the right kind of guy, and rewarding a player with his standing in the locker room wouldn’t be a bad thing, particularly with a first-year coach in Indy.)
I have a good story on that, too. One area where the Colts figured he might struggle, based on his lack of experience and the offenses he ran at Florida, was calling plays in the huddle. But through the spring and summer, that’s been, really, the least of his problems. The coaches radio plays in, and he spits them out.
That, of course, doesn’t mean you should bet your mortgage that he’s going to make it. But it’s a good early sign that, for a player who has a long, long way to go developmentally, there’s a real capacity to learn. And the talent, by the way, is obvious—the night I was there was filled with wow throws, and it’s not his arm strength. It’s the quick release and how he can wedge the ball into tight windows.
“When I put on his tape after I got hired, I said, ,” Steichen told me after Saturday’s practice. “That was just watching the tape. Now just the physical attributes he brings, the way the ball comes out of his hands and things you can do in the offense, I’m really excited about it.”
And most exciting, to Steichen, has been the kid’s approach.
“The work ethic he’s brought in, obviously with 13 starts and then coming into the NFL, it’s this determination, ,” Steichen continues. “He’s been on record saying he wants to be a great player, and you do that by working every single day, and that’s what he’s been doing. It’s been really good to see. I’m excited about him and the future. But we gotta keep stacking the days, and growth’s gotta keep coming.
“It’s really just all about consistency, not making the same mistake twice, learning from our mistakes and keep going.”
So, again, there’s a long way to go. But this’ll be a fun one to watch.
