Our friend Tim Weaver over at Seahawks Wire recently ranked the top NFL running backs. So where does the Indianapolis Colts’ Jonathan Taylor fall on that list compared to his peers?

Various injuries have limited Taylor to just 21 combined games over the last two seasons. However, when on the field, he’s still remained a very effective ball carrier.

In 2023, Taylor totaled 741 yards despite playing in only 10 games. He averaged 4.4 yards per rush and scored seven touchdowns. Taylor ranked eighth among running backs in average yards after contact and was still 16th in rushes of 10-plus yards. In the passing game, Taylor remained efficient, catching almost 80 percent of his targets while averaging 8.1 yards per catch.

Taylor has been fully healthy this offseason, giving him a head start compared to this time last year. When meeting with reporters, Colts’ GM Chris Ballard said that Taylor looked “really good” and that he expects a “really big year” from him.

A strong run game to lean on can do wonders for a quarterback and the offense as a whole. Early down success on the ground results in short down-and-distances on second and third downs, which opens up the playbook for an offense while forcing the defense to defend the entire field, along with taking away some of the bite from the opposing pass rush.

With Taylor working through an early season injury in 2023 and Anthony Richardson’s rookie season being cut short, the two were only on the field together for two snaps last season. But now in 2024, that duo being in the backfield together is going to be one of the ways that this Colts’ offense can really stress opposing defenses.

“To have Anthony and JT back there,” said offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter, “JT has an extensive history with a lot of success, leading the league in rushing. Now we’ve got Anthony, where a defense, gosh, there may be that mesh on a run play and it’s JT going left and it’s Anthony going right, and as a defense, how do you defend that?

“You have two really explosive players that maybe have a chance to end up with the ball on a run play, how do you defend all that? It is exciting.”

Now, without further ado, from No. 32 all the way to No. 1, here is how Weaver ranks the NFL’s top running backs and Taylor falls in that mix: