With the Colts giving running back Jonathan Taylor permission to shop himself via trade, the challenge becomes finding a potential destination.
It would have been much easier if it had happened in March, before teams spent cash, burned cap space, drafted running backs, and/or otherwise made their plans for 2023.
As the regular season looms, who is in position to press pause on their plans for 2023, make a trade, pay Taylor, and then incorporate him into their offense? Given what it will take to get him, it’s more than incorporation. It would be a reconstitution of the attack to make Taylor the centerpiece. Otherwise, why make the move to get him?
So who would do it? The Dolphins reportedly will explore a possible trade, but they surely will have a limit beyond which they won’t go in order to get him. If the Colts will take whatever the Dolphins would offer and if Taylor won’t insist on top dollar, then Miami could potentially add Taylor to an already-talented offense.
Beyond the Dolphins, it’s hard to find a team that would make the move. On Tuesday’s PFT Live, we identified two possibilities. Chris Simms pegged the Chargers, and I flagged the Eagles.
Yes, the Chargers have Austin Ekeler. He could be included in the deal, however, helping the Colts replace Taylor. Unfortunately for the Colts, Ekeler is due to make more than Taylor and, like Taylor, he’s in the final year of his contract.
The Eagles make sense to monitor because they always seem to be lurking, and because they currently don’t have a clear-cut, high-end tailback. No one knew they were exploring a trade for receiver A.J. Brown until it happened. Maybe Taylor will be viewed as the guy who can help them fend off the 49ers and Christian McCaffrey, and in turn take down the eventual AFC champion.
Also, Eagles coach Nick Sirianni knows Taylor well. Sirianni was the offensive coordinator in Indianapolis during Taylor’s rookie year in Indianapolis.
It’s still more likely that no one will want to make the move at this stage of the offseason. Again, it should have happened in March.
Then again, Ekeler got permission to shop himself in March and found no takers then. While Taylor is younger and better, it might be impossible to find a team that will satisfy both the Colts and Taylor, and then reconfigure their offense to get an immediate return on their investment.