The Indianapolis Colts made their intentions clear.
On Tuesday, the staff introduced itself as a vendor forward of the Nov. 10 NFL commerce deadline, sending defensive sort out DeForest Buckner to the San Francisco 49ers and guard Quenton Nelson to the Seattle Seahawks.
Initial indications are that the staff could also be much less inclined to half with working again Jonathan Taylor, however as arguably the staff’s most beneficial commerce asset, the Colts is perhaps sensible to rethink.
Think about the final main commerce involving a working again in 2022, when San Francisco despatched 4 picks (second-, third- and fourth-round picks in 2023, plus a 2024 fifth-rounder) to the Carolina Panthers for working again Christian McCaffrey.
The Colts ought to bounce at one thing comparable, however who must be out there for Taylor? Under, we have a look at 5 potential locations, plus what every staff ought to provide in a commerce.
How Taylor helps: Within the six weeks since a 124-yard, three-touchdown Week 1 efficiency, Bears working again D’Andre Swift has averaged 58.7 yards per sport and three.6 yards per carry. According to SumerSports data, he ranks No. 27 out of 36 working backs with a minimum of 50 touches through the span in anticipated factors added (EPA) per rush try.
Per NFL Pro data, third-year quarterback Caleb Williams solely trails Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen amongst qualifying passers in EPA per dropback. Including Taylor would stress defenses additional, making a prolific Bears offense even scarier.
Bears provide: 2027 second- and third-round picks, 2028 fourth | A yr older and with significantly extra put on than McCaffrey on the time of being on the commerce market, the Bears — any staff contemplating a deal, for that matter — could also be unwilling to provide fairly as a lot for Taylor. However a three-pick haul, together with two 2027 Day 2 alternatives, may very well be enticing sufficient for the Colts whereas additionally permitting the Bears to maintain their first-rounder.
How Taylor helps: The Bengals are top-10 in scoring offense (27.2 factors per sport) and protection (20.2 factors per sport) however removed from full. Getting into Week 8, Cincinnati ranks No. 30 in dashing (81.2 yards per sport) whereas averaging 3.6 yards per try, placing monumental weight on the appropriate shoulder of quarterback Joe Burrow, who’s finishing an NFL-high 71.7 % of his passes for 1,653 yards, 15 touchdowns and three interceptions.
Bengals provide: 2027 first-round decide | If any staff ought to go all-in for Taylor, it is Cincinnati. After parting with its 2026 first to land defensive sort out Dexter Lawrence II, the entrance workplace has already established that it is in win-now mode. Offering Burrow an All-Professional-caliber again to pair with star wideouts Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins would give the staff a good higher probability of claiming the franchise’s first Lombardi Trophy in February. Having parted with its personal first-rounder in final yr’s Sauce Gardner commerce, Indianapolis could be glad to get again into Day 1.
How Taylor helps: Cam Skattebo is the lead Giants again, however that position is tenuous after early season fumble points. Does head coach John Harbaugh belief him sufficient to provide the 2025 fourth-rounder the majority of the carries heading into the again half of a season that finds New York in command of the NFC East? Whereas Skattebo has 4 fumbles in 98 carries this season, Taylor has fumbled 4 instances in 463 carries because the begin of the 2025 marketing campaign, which might make him a far safer possibility at RB1.
Giants provide: 2027 second-round decide, 2028 second- and fifth-round picks | If Skattebo’s upside does not give New York pause, its diminished draft capital may. The Giants already parted with a 2027 fourth throughout April’s NFL Draft, then subsequent yr’s fifth when including quarterback J.J. McCarthy. By solely giving up a second in 2027, New York would nonetheless have first- and third-rounders, whereas the Colts would get two doubtlessly premium Day 2 picks.
How Taylor helps: The Seahawks could not have a necessity for Taylor relying on how the following two weeks go. Jadarian Value, chosen No. 32 general within the 2026 draft, is eligible to return to observe after lacking the previous 4 video games with a chest harm, whereas Zach Charbonnet is anticipated to make his season debut quickly after being a full participant in final week’s observe. However till both takes command of the backfield, Taylor must be a consideration.
Seahawks provide: 2027 second, 2028 second- and third-round picks | Seattle already despatched two picks over the following two drafts to Indy for Nelson, so what’s a couple of others going to harm? It could be much less painful than watching Sam Darnold proceed throwing interceptions. And as ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter not too long ago famous, the Seahawks are anticipated to obtain 5 compensatory picks in 2027, giving them ample capital to be ultra-aggressive of their title protection.
!function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s)
{if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod?
n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};
if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version=’2.0′;
n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;
t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];
s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)}(window, document,’script’,
‘https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/fbevents.js’);
fbq(‘init’, ‘1324276914788316’);
fbq(‘track’, ‘PageView’);
