Jonathan Taylor led the NFL with 323 rushes in 2025, the second time in his six-year career he's sat atop the totes stats and the third time he's been above the 300-plus rush threshold.
In 2026, the Colts would like to lighten the 27-year-old's load.
"We definitely need to find ways to take some of that workload off him," running backs coach DeAndre Smith said, via . "If I can find another guy or two that can take some of those carries off, he's just going to be that much better.
"So, it's definitely been a constant conversation. I'm aware of it. When he's healthy, we've got a chance to win every game. So, that's always the first thing I think about: making sure he's available every week."
It's a nice sentiment to enter the season. In practice, it will be more difficult to take Taylor off the field even for a few reps.
"Obviously, he's a hell of a player," Steichen said recently. "It's hard to take him off the field when he's running so good."
A year ago, Taylor took 323 of the 372 Colts' RB carries. Daniel Jones, who exited the season with a ruptured Achilles after 13 games, was second on the club in rush attempts with 45. Essentially, the ground game was Taylor. DJ Giddens took 26 carries over nine games last season, the second-most among Indy RBs.
The question entering camp is whether the Colts have a backup they can trust to give Taylor some reps off. Giddens, a fifth-round pick in 2025, sits as the backup right now. Indy drafted Seth McGowan in the seventh round of April's draft. The rookie could push for snaps during camp.
The reality is that Taylor still projects to get the overwhelming number of touches in 2026. The veteran, who said he's "very meticulous" about his offseason work in preparing for the season, is fine with whatever the club throws at him.
"Whether it's a large workload or a minimum workload," he said, "I'm prepared and ready to go."
Taylor is entering the final season of a three-year contract and hopes to get an extension that will keep him in Indy for the rest of his career.
