Colts GM Chris Ballard gives an update on Jonathan Taylor's status
Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor has yet to step on the practice field during training camp, but reports indicate that has more to do with his health than his trade request.
During a recent interview with SiriusXM NFL Radio, Colts general manager Chris Ballard seemed to confirm as much, stating that Taylor won’t be suiting up until the team is confident he’s no longer injured.
“He’s been a great Colt, a great player for the Colts,” Ballard said. “Unfortunately, last year he got hurt early in the season, was dinged up all year, fought through it until he finally got to the point where he had to have this surgery. Now, he’s finishing his rehab process. Hopefully as we move forward here, we’ll get him back. But we need to get him 100 percent healthy before we do anything.”
Taylor, who returned to Indianapolis to continue his rehab but left Wednesday afternoon with an excused absence, missed six games last year before suffering a season-ending ankle injury in Week 15 against the Minnesota Vikings. He’s also missed 11 training camp practices and one preseason game this summer.
While the Colts believe Taylor will return to action once he’s medically cleared, questions still remain as to whether or not the star back will actually return given his contract status with the team.
The 24-year-old former Wisconsin tailback is in the final year of his rookie deal and scheduled to make $4.3 million in 2023. Taylor had been adamant on wanting a contract extension, but he recently requested to be traded after an unproductive meeting with Colts owner Jim Irsay in which no progress was made on a new deal.
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