Jonathan Taylor injury history: Exploring Colts RB’s health issues amidst contract standoff with Jim Irsay

Modified Jul 31, 2023 23:49 GMT

Indianapolis Colts v Dallas Cowboys — Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor

The Jonathan Taylor and Indianapolis Colts saga is getting uglier by the minute. With Taylor requesting a trade after a meeting with owner Jim Irsay, many thought that would be the end of it.

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But Taylor took it a step further and dismissed reports of him having a back injury. He said he never had one and that whoever reported it needs to find a new source.

Speaking of Taylor's injuries and given the current running back market being a hot topic of discussion, let's have a look at his injury history since entering the league.

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Jonathan Taylor's injury history

In his three seasons, Taylor has only played all regular season games just once, in 2021. In 2020, he managed 15 games. Last season, he missed six games with an ankle injury.

For running backs, the nature of the position means that contact injuries and general injuries, are likely to happen more frequently.

Last season, Taylor injured his ankle in Week 5 and then again in Week 6. He hurt it again in Week 9, which led to season-ending surgery. He then had a cleanup surgery on Jan. 25, per draftsharks.com.

Before that, Jonathan Taylor had a knee injury in Week 4 of the 2021 season.

It's interesting to note that all of Taylor's injuries have been pedal ankle sprains, so there might be something in that.

So, for the most part, Taylor has been relatively healthy for a running back who carries the ball as much as he does. He had 232 rushing attempts in 2020 and 332 in 2021 as he made the Pro Bowl with a 1,811-yard, 18-touchdown season, and then last year, he carried the ball 192 times.

Taylor has been a beacon of production for the Colts, but with his trade request for reasons which aren't fully understood yet, it's not looking good for either party now.

The Colts can't really use injuries as an excuse, given that Jonathan Taylor, aside from last year, has been relatively injury free.

This saga looks like it won't be ending anytime soon.