3 Reasons Colts Superstar Could Have a Career Year in 2023

The Indianapolis Colts have one of the most deadly offensive weapons in the NFL, and this season he may be in store for career-best numbers.

The Indianapolis Colts have young playmakers and talent all around the facility after hauling in 12 rookies through the 2023 NFL Draft. However, one still-young player stands out above them all: running back Jonathan Taylor.

Now through three seasons, Taylor has been a true superstar for the Colts, even setting the all-time single-season rushing record in 2021 with a ridiculous 1,811 rushing yards (previously held by Hall-of-Famer and Colts Ring of Honor member Edgerrin James, who had 1,709).

After a brutal 2022 outing that saw Taylor’s season end with an ankle injury, things are much different across the board. The Colts have offensive-minded leadership with Shane Steichen, a historically athletic quarterback in Anthony Richardson, and a passing attack to come that will push the ball down the field for explosive plays.

For this piece, I will examine the three reasons that Taylor could have an even better year than 2021 when he set the NFL on fire with his brilliant abilities. We’ll start with the mind behind it all, Steichen himself.

Reason #1: Steichen’s Use of Running Back Committees

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Taylor was electric under Frank Reich in 2021. However, he shouldered nearly all of the carries out of the backfield and still put on a performance that reset the Colts’ history books. There wasn’t much of a committee around him in the backfield to throw extra wrenches into the game plans of opposing defenses. Essentially, Taylor was a one-man show that did everything for the offense.

However, this is no longer the case with Steichen at the helm.

Just last year, Steichen utilized a true committee backfield with the Philadelphia Eagles that featured Kenneth Gainwell, Boston Scott, and the lead horse, Miles Sanders.

Previously, the aforementioned Sanders had not etched a single thousand-yard season in his previous three, only reaching the height of 867 rushing yards in 2020. While it is true that he only had 164 carries, it’s also true that he erupted once Eagles’ head coach Nick Sirianni handed Steichen the keys to the playcalling.

With a rotational backfield, Sanders was able to eat up the numbers on his way to 1,269 rushing yards, 11 touchdowns, and a hefty 4.9 yards per carry. While Sanders is talented, he is no Taylor.

Now that Taylor will potentially have a supporting cast of three others to use (Zack Moss, Deon Jackson, and rookie Evan Hull), he may follow suit and go even past his 2021 numbers.

Defenses won’t be able to hone in on Taylor alone as they did in 2022.

Instead, they will get multiple looks with various backs in the fold with Richardson under center. This could throw many defenses off with different specialties and skill sets, allowing Taylor to gash second-level defenders and get into the open field.

Reason #2: “Explosive” Types of Shots Downfield

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The Colts were putrid with deep passing in 2022. Despite Matt Ryan at QB and a deep ball specialist like Alec Pierce, Indianapolis truly struggled to push the ball vertically through the air.

However, Steichen has different ideas. Now that a big arm like Richardson will be throwing, this will push defenses back and relax the linebacker box.

Once two or three passes hit past 20 yards, it will force the secondaries to play more preventative defense. This will also translate to the second level, where the linebackers reside. Putting all of this into an equation allows Taylor to take full advantage.

Even in 2021, then Colts quarterback Carson Wentz didn’t intimidate anyone with his passing ability, yet Taylor still led the NFL in rushing. Now, defenses must respect Steichen’s gameplan, Richardson’s arm, and the abilities of the aforementioned Pierce and Michael Pittman Jr.

This takes a lot of pressure off of Taylor to do everything, which allows for more opportunities to exploit defenses for potentially massive plays.

Reason #3: Anthony Richardson is the QB

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This one is simple, there is the most athletic quarterback ever tested in the backfield with Taylor. While Wentz was athletic, he is nothing compared to the track star that is Richardson.

Whether it’s RPOs, play-action, or read options, Richardson must be accounted for by defenses every play. If he isn’t, he could do serious damage with his legs.

Now, imagine Richardson has an option play where the defensive end bites and thinks Taylor has the ball, resulting in a 10-yard carry. The next play, this could be Taylor’s turn to strike. This could be the dilemma that defenses face; “Will it be Taylor or Richardson?”

Taylor has had a multitude of QBs in his short career as his field general, and he’s still been a superstar. Now, he has a burner like Richardson that can make teams pay for jumping the gun on a read. This is a recipe for a massive season for Taylor if the rookie QB can get things going early in a game with fakes and runs.

Outlook

There is still a long time before the regular season begins for the Colts. For now, it’s assumed that Taylor may not hit that 2021 stride with a new coach in his first year at the position, a rookie QB on a young team, and after an injury that halted him in the previous season.

However, Taylor is recovering and learning in the offseason. He’s connecting with his new staff around him, as well as his quarterback. If everything listed above does happen, could he push for 2,000-plus rushing yards? I believe he can.

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