After a loss to the previously winless Titans dropped the Colts to 2-4 on the young season, Indianapolis fired GM Chris Ballard. It was the first firing by Colts owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon, and it might not be the last. Shane Steichen has zero postseason trips in four seasons as the Colts' coach, and while he's still leading the way for now, there's no doubt his seat is and has been warm.
How much warmer it became after Ballard's firing is unclear, but it's clear Irsay-Gordon expects better than what the Colts are producing. It's also clear that the Colts aren't close to getting to the level Irsay-Gordon expects. Daniel Jones has been a turnover machine, and the defense is below average, with issues rushing the passer and defending the run.
The Colts are 28th in yards per play allowed and 26th in net yards per attempt allowed. Sometimes it has to get worse before it gets better, and that may be the case for the Colts. Indianapolis is already down a 2027 first-round pick, traded to the Jets at the 2025 trade deadline, but the Colts could be sellers -- and maybe major sellers -- this year.
The biggest name would be star running back Jonathan Taylor. He had 20 touchdowns and nearly 2,000 yards from scrimmage last year, and he's on his way to another big season, but the Colts are stuck going nowhere once again. He's 27 and has played in just one playoff game -- as a rookie in 2020.
In fact, Taylor headlined Jordan Dajani's list of five players we want to see moved by the Nov. 10 deadline. Taylor would have plenty of suitors if made available, and the situation isn't too dissimilar from what the Panthers were going through with Christian McCaffrey in 2022. McCaffrey is a more versatile player than Taylor in the passing game and was younger than Taylor is now when that deal happened, but he had also been injured.
In the deal with the 49ers in 2022, Carolina received second-, third-, fourth- and fifth-round picks. With that in mind, here are five teams who could come calling about Taylor and what a mock trade might look like: Giants receive: RB Jonathan TaylorColts receive: RB Cam Skattebo, 2027 second-round pick, 2028 fourth-round pick The Giants used a four-running-back committee Sunday against the Saints and then released Najee Harris (who didn't exactly love the rotation). In between, John Harbaugh explained his rationale, saying he "would love" to have a "Derrick Henry circumstance or a 'Saquon Barkley circumstance." Whether he meant to or not, it was surely a bummer for Giants fans to hear Harbaugh mention his running back from last year and a former Giants running back in the same sentence.
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