WESTFIELD – As it turns out, an ankle isn’t the only physical issue that’s keeping Jonathan Taylor off the practice field.
A back injury contributed to the Indianapolis Colts’ disgruntled running back being placed on the physically unable to perform list (PUP) at the start of training camp last Tuesday, according to a source with knowledge of the situation.
The type and severity of the back injury isn’t known.
Taylor was quick to refute the back issue with a post on social media late Sunday evening.
1.) Never had back pain.
2.) Never reported back pain.
Not sure who “sources’’ are, but find new ones.
However, the manner with which Taylor sustained the injury could lead to a change in his status. The Colts are considering placing him on the non-football injury list (NFI) since it occurred while Taylor was working out away from the team prior to camp, the source revealed.
That would represent a more strident stance by the team.
A player on PUP is paid once the regular season begins. That’s not the case with an individual on NFI. Since the injury was sustained away while working out on his own, the team wouldn’t be required to pay a player if and until he was medically cleared and added to the active roster.
After the Colts ended their offseason work in mid-June, they preferred Taylor remain in Indy while completing his rehab from surgery in January on his right ankle. His rehab forced him to miss all of the on-field work.
But Taylor opted to prepare for training camp by working out with his associates in Arizona.
The bottom line: the Colts clearly were aware of the ankle situation, but Taylor never mentioned a back injury until he reported to Grand Park Sports Complex for his pre-camp physical.
Until that time, the team fully expected Taylor to be full-go for camp.
The back injury is the latest complication in what’s been a tumultuous summer for the team’s featured back.
Taylor’s in the final year of his rookie contract that will pay him $4.3 million this season, but is seeking an extension. The team informed Taylor and his agent, Malki Kawa, it would not be extending an offer until the end of the upcoming season, and Taylor subsequently requested a trade.
Jim Irsay and Taylor met for nearly an hour Saturday evening in the owner’s luxury bus that was parked adjacent to the practice fields, and one of the overriding messages to Taylor was no trade would be made.
In a response to FOX59/CBS4 Saturday night, Irsay said, “We will not trade Jonathan Taylor. That is a certainty. Not now or not in October.
“That is the bottom line.’’
Taylor, 24, arguably is the team’s best player and top playmaker on offense.
The 2020 second-round pick rushed for 1,169 yards as a rookie, then unleashed the best season by a Colts’ running back in team history in ’21 with a league-leading and franchise-record 1,811 yards.
Taylor’s production slipped last season – 861 yards – by a high sprain to his right ankle that limited him to 11 games and a dysfunctional offense.
