The New England Patriots should emerge as a potential team to land Indianapolis Colts star running back Jonathan Taylor.
Obviously, this time of year is full of buzz surrounding the trade deadline. However, this trade would actually make a lot of sense for New England. If the Patriots don’t have to give up a first-round pick or a serious haul for Taylor, they should 100% be considering this move.
Jonathan Taylor would immediately be the Patriots' best weapon
Taylor is one of the best running backs in the NFL and would immediately elevate the Patriots offense. New England has a pretty good running back in Rhamondre Stevenson, but Taylor is on another level. The duo of Taylor and Stevenson would likely be the best in the league and would take a lot of pressure off of Drake Maye. Taylor’s athleticism, strength, balance, and speed make him a weapon that you have to account for and a player who will elevate the entire offense around him.
After the bye week, when the Patriots get back Romeo Doubs and A.J. Brown, adding Taylor into that mix would force defenses to choose their battles over who to stop. You can either stack the box to stop the talents of Taylor and let Brown, Doubs, and Pop Douglas have favorable matchups, or drop back into pass coverage and risk the one-time All-Pro running back hitting the open field.
This would be ideal for Maye, who has had to put the entire offense on his back. Overall, adding an elite playmaker like Taylor would be a spectacular move for New England to make and would create mismatches all over the field.
What would New England have to give up for Jonathan Taylor?
I would under no circumstances offer the 2027 first-round pick for multiple reasons. First reason being New England already gave up their 2028 first for Brown, and it is not usually a great practice to just deal out first rounders. Second reason being that the 2027 NFL Draft class is projected to be loaded with talent, therefore that first round pick is incredibly valuable.
Another point to take into consideration is that the Colts are in a full rebuild. They are trading away their players left and right, so you can probably get Taylor away from them for more of a bargain.
I believe it is well worth it to bring the Colts star to Foxborough, especially with the recent developments on Stevenson (likely to miss time due to a knee injury) and Treveyon Henderson (likely to miss more time due to neurological issues). In the absence of Stevenson and Henderson, the Patriots don’t have much of anything at the running back position, and it would be malpractice to keep putting Maye out there expecting him to carry the team. Give your 24-year-old quarterback some help and go get him one of the best backs in the league.
A fully healthy Patriots offense with Taylor could be incredibly dangerous
Drake Maye, Jonathan Taylor, A.J. Brown, Romeo Doubs, Rhamondre Stevenson, DeMario Douglas, and Hunter Henry. All I have to say about this fully healthy offense is that every opposing defense better lock in. This is an arsenal of weapons for one of the best young quarterbacks in the NFL, and this would allow him to do what he does best: stay calm and make plays.
It would take so much pressure off of Maye having weapons he can count on, and playmakers that can actually help him throughout games. In the gauntlet of the NFL playoffs, the more studs you have, the easier it is to make a run at the Lombardi.
Adding Taylor to an offense that is looking to get healthy for the back half of the season could be the piece that puts the Patriots back on track and over the top in the postseason.
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