Head coach Shane Steichen said the Colts will continue to ramp up Jonathan Taylor's workload in practice this week ahead of Sunday's Week 6 game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, which will be the 2021 NFL rushing leader's second game this season.
Taylor rushed six times for 18 yards and caught a pass for 16 yards in the Colts' 23-16 win over the Tennessee Titans in Week 5. He was on the field for 10 of the Colts' 66 offensive snaps.
Wednesday's practice will be Taylor's first in full pads this season, as the Colts pulled back in practice last week following consecutive overtime games against the Baltimore Ravens and Los Angeles Rams in Weeks 3 and 4.
"This will be a full week of practice, which is going to be really huge because especially today on Wednesday, you're in pads, you're able to get a lot of those high-speed reps in and really work on your craft," Taylor said. "You can definitely work on the details when you have shells and helmets, but it's different when you put those pads on. So it'll be a big week to be able to continue to progress.
"... It's another step. This Wednesday's another step. You're able to get a lot of high-speed reps in, which is good, which is what I really need. I'm excited. I'm looking forward to it."
As the Colts continue to increase Taylor's workload in practice and on gamedays, they'll do so while holding an immense amount of trust in running back Zack Moss, who's carried 89 times for 445 yards (5.0 yards/attempt) with four total touchdowns in 2023. Moss is averaging 111.3 yards per game and has 13 explosive (10+ yard runs), tied with Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson for second in the NFL behind only the San Francisco 49ers' Christian McCaffrey.
Neither Taylor nor Moss were available for the Colts' Week 1 loss to the Jaguars, in which the team's running backs combined for 25 yards on 16 carries.
"We weren't going to go play JT 60 snaps last game," offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter said. "We didn't think that would be wise. As he comes along, shoot – those two guys both playing good football will be pretty fun to see. We'll see if we can keep that coming."
Wednesday's practice report:
