The Chicago Bears have a glaring need at running back. Enter disgruntled Colts RB Jonathan Taylor, who could be acquired for below normal market value.
In what is quickly becoming standard practice, the Indianapolis Colts are refusing to pay their star running back. Jonathan Taylor is 24 years old. He led the NFL in rushing in his second season and he averages 5.1 yards per carry for his career. And now, with his rookie contract set to expire, the Colts are waving him off.
Taylor is naturally upset and has requested a trade. The relationship between player and franchise is rapidly deteriorating. There's no rebuilding this bridge once it's burnt, and the bridge is pretty well charred already.
The Colts have contractual rights for one more year — Taylor can't technically force his way out the door — but it would behoove the Indianapolis front office to consider transforming Taylor into something of value before he walks for nothing next summer.
One compelling potential fit is the Chicago Bears, who possess one of the weakest backfields in the NFL at the moment. Taylor could change that in an instant.
NFL Rumors: Trade package to deliver Jonathan Taylor from Colts to Bears
The Bears hold a potential ace here: Chicago has two first-round picks in 2024 after facilitating the Bryce Young trade with Carolina in ahead of April's NFL Draft. Chicago could offer up the Panthers' first-round pick and still control its own, or vice versa. The running back market has bottomed out completely, but if the Taylor trade frenzy gets competitive, Chicago has more than enough ammo to stand out from the crowd.
That said, odds are no team will even remotely consider risking a first-round pick on Taylor. With Saquon Barkley and Josh Jacobs also getting shafted in contract negotiations, Taylor is the latest victim of a trend every NFL front office will take advantage of. Running backs aren't getting paid, and that league-wide divestment will carry over to the trade market.
Of course, Taylor's desire for an extension will not cease with a relocation from one midwest city to another. The Bears will have to reckon with Taylor's contractual desires, potentially reassured by his youth (24) and the explosive potential he has displayed with the Colts. He ran for 1,811 yards in his last healthy season and there aren't many backs who can match Taylor's elusiveness in the open field.
Chicago would immediately have the most potent run game in the NFL. The Bears led the league in rushing yards last season (3,014), largely due to Justin Fields' unique ability to break off big runs from the QB position. Taylor can dominate at the line of scrimmage while Fields improvises from the pocket. The Bears will need to boost the passing game to match the ground attack, but Taylor immediately raises the ceiling and, perhaps more importantly, the floor of Chicago's offense.
The Bears lost last season's No. 1 back, David Montgomery, in free agency. There's a pretty wide void for Taylor to fill. Khalil Herbert and D'Onta Foreman are competent but uninspiring RBs who would frankly look better as secondary options, rather than the pillars of a timeshare.
Chicago has holes to plug all across the roster and it's fair to still have lingering questions about Justin Fields' overall game, but two of the most dynamic runners in the NFL is a good launching point for a potentially deadly offense. The Bears have long built their reputation on defense, but a trade for Taylor could usher in a new age of offensive excitement.