Just when Jonathan Taylor was getting going, he’s been stopped by another injury.
Taylor is set to undergo thumb surgery that will sideline him multiple weeks, Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay told The Athletic’s James Boyd on Tuesday.
NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport, who reported earlier in the day that Taylor had suffered a thumb injury that would put his status into doubt, added that no decision has been made as to whether Taylor will be placed on injured reserve, which would guarantee he would miss at least four games. A decision will be made later this week, Rapoport added.
Taylor was flashing his old form in recent weeks, having tallied a season-high 23 carries for 69 yards and a touchdown in a Week 10 win over the New England Patriots before rushing for a season-best 91 yards and two scores in 15 carries on Sunday in a win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Taylor played through the second half against the Bucs with his thumb injury, per Rapoport.
Taylor already missed the initial four games of the 2023 season on the physically unable to perform because of an ankle injury sustained last year. Amid his injury woes, he was also embroiled in a contract standoff with the Colts that concluded with him receiving a three-year, $42 million contract extension in October.
Though Taylor’s loss is no doubt a blow to the burgeoning Colts, winners of three in a row and holders of the No. 7 seed in the AFC playoff race, they’re no strangers of Sundays without Taylor. Zack Moss still stands as the team leader in rushing yards with 672 and has also racked up five touchdowns and a team-high 141 carries, while Taylor has rushed for 414 yards and four touchdowns on 100 carries.
So, Moss is likely to once again the bell-cow role, while the Colts’ lead back is on the mend.
