Indianapolis Colts’ running back Jonathan Taylor led the NFL in rushing attempts last season. In 2024, he finished fifth in carries, despite missing three games.
This heavy workload has been the norm for Taylor throughout his NFL career.
However, about to embark on his seventh NFL season and being a back who saw a lot of carries in college as well, Taylor isn’t showing any signs of slowing down. He rushed for nearly 1,600 yards last season and eclipsed the 1,400-yard mark the year before.
So with so many carries, how does Taylor continue to shoulder all these snaps?
“They’re going to talk about it every single year,” Taylor said of his workload, via Horseshoe Huddle. “You talk about it every single year until something happens and you’re like, ‘Ah, there it is.’ It’s just how you prepare. I mean, like ever since college, it’s preparing for the type of workload you’re going to have, whether it’s more, whether it’s less.”
Taylor continued, “But then it’s also finding – you guys know, I’m big on recovery. And it starts immediately after the game, but also in the offseason, you’ve got to find that good balance of restoring the body and then knowing how to pace yourself in order to build your body back up. Because a lot of times you can take a week, two weeks and go extremely hard, but you also have done a lot of damage to your body. So, how do you find a way to repair it through those two weeks? It’s a fine line, but I feel like I’ve been starting to get the hang of it a little bit.”
Taylor is what makes the Colts’ offense go. If he’s finding success on the ground, points typically follow.
But his impact goes beyond his own production. When an offense has a steady run game to lean on, it keeps that unit ahead of the sticks and out of predictable passing situations. This can then open up the playbook for Shane Steichen.
So naturally, while the Colts are mindful of how Taylor is feeling and what his weekly usage looks like, the team also wants him on the field as much as possible.
“I think he led the league last year in carries, but talking to him after the season, he said he felt good,” Steichen said. “But yeah, obviously he’s a hell of a player. It’s hard to take him off the field when he’s running so good, but getting Seth (McGowan) in the fold and DJ (Giddens) and see how those guys come along in training camp, and we’ll go from there.”
DJ Giddens or Seth McGowan emerging in that RB2 role could lead to more rest opportunities here and there for Taylor. But make no mistake about it, he will continue to be relied upon heavily.
Taylor is about to enter the final year of his current deal and has made it known that he would like to remain with the Colts.
This article originally appeared on Colts Wire: Colts’ Steichen evaluates Jonathan Taylor’s workload heading into 2026
Reporting by Paul Bretl, Colts Wire / Colts Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Paul Bretl, Colts Wire | USA TODAY Network
