Simply as Jonathan Taylor had ramped as much as a stage harking back to his pre-injury self, the just lately prolonged operating again wanted one other shutdown interval. Taylor underwent thumb surgical procedure final week, and the Colts don’t look like anticipating him again too quickly.
Though Taylor performed by way of the damage to shut out the Colts’ Week 12 sport, the previous dashing champion’s challenge was severe sufficient it required a right away process. Taylor suffered a torn UCL in his thumb, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport, who particulars the character of the setback. The fourth-year again tore the ligament off the thumb’s base. The harm additionally affected a tendon in Taylor’s hand, with surgical procedure the one method to appropriate this challenge.
Had Taylor gone in for the standard surgical procedure to handle the UCL tear, he would have confronted a months-long restoration. As an alternative, Rapoport provides an inside brace process — one which stands to permit a late-season comeback — grew to become the plan of assault. The inner brace process, which Drew Brees underwent in 2019, presents Taylor with a three- to five-week restoration timetable. The Colts don’t plan to put Taylor on IR whereas he recovers, which permits him to keep away from a compulsory four-game absence.
When Taylor went below the knife in Los Angeles, the Colts hoped to have him back in two or three weeks. The three- to five-week timetable would stand to sideline Taylor in Week 15 as effectively. Whereas a minimal three-week hiatus could also be extra damaging to fantasy GMs than the Colts, given Zack Moss‘ manufacturing in prolonged aid this season, Indianapolis does have two video games towards fellow AFC playoff contenders over the subsequent two weeks.
Taylor, 24, did effectively to safe assured cash when he might, having now skilled ankle and thumb illnesses that required surgical procedures. Whereas the journey to succeed in that extension led the Colts and their beginning operating again to an odd place from which an escape as soon as appeared tough to ascertain, Taylor signed a three-year, $42M deal in October — earlier than coming off the reserve/PUP listing. The 2021 All-Professional obtained $19.3M totally assured, whereas a further $7.2M will come his means in 2024. That extra $7.2M — a part of Taylor’s 2025 wage — shifts from an damage assure to a full guarantee on Day 5 of the 2024 league year.
Previous to final 12 months’s ankle damage, Taylor rolled by way of his Wisconsin tenure and first two Indianapolis seasons and not using a notable damage. The Colts acquired Moss within the Nyheim Hines commerce final 12 months, and the ex-Payments second-rounder has performed exceedingly effectively in his contract 12 months. Whereas missing Taylor’s top-end skillset, Moss boasts a greater yards-per-carry quantity (4.5) to the Colts’ most popular starter (4.1) this season. Moss’ 723 dashing yards rank eleventh this season.
Taylor’s deal will enable him to keep away from a 2024 franchise tag or a visit to what might be a crowded free-agent market. Moss joins Saquon Barkley, Josh Jacobs, Tony Pollard, Derrick Henry, Austin Ekeler and D’Andre Swift as notable backs in contract years.