Bears News: Bear mentioned as trade candidate for Jonathan Taylor |
It's not a good time to be a RB in the NFL, as that market continues to die off. Not only are guys like Josh Jacobs and Sequon Barkley not getting paid the money they should be getting paid, but now you have teams releasing backs like Dalvin Cook in Minnesota and Ezekiel Elliott in Dallas.
What was one of the most critical units in football just a decade ago has died off, with Adrian Peterson being the last legitimate RB that got paid the money he deserved to get paid. A big reason for the declining RB market falls on the NFL itself and how the rules now benefit the QB and WR. That has taken the need for a workhorse back out of the mix as more teams are willing to go with an RB-by-committee idea. Along with the changing rules, many GMs talk about the shelf life of an RB lasting up to eight years. There is not a GM out there that will invest their future into a guy that may only play until they are 30, so you can see where the disconnect is. Despite all of the RB news this offseason, the biggest story is coming out of Indianapolis, where star RB Jonathan Taylor has requested a trade from the Colts organization after an ugly meeting with Jim Irsay. While a trade does seem unlikely, it is worth noting that the Bears have been listed as a favorite to land Taylor, and that alone is a story to watch. Not only did Taylor have a rough meeting with Irsay, but he has been put on the non-football injury list for an injury he says doesn't exist. Talk about a toxic situation brewing for a team that has dealt with enough drama the past two seasons, and things may explode before the season even starts. No one will deny Taylor's talent on the field after he dominated the NCAA landscape for three years in Wisconsin. He ran for 2000 yards in back-to-back seasons and was the school's second all-time leading rusher, only behind Ron Dayne. Typically those numbers would land you in the first round, but given how the league views RBs, Taylor fell to the second round and became the steal of that round, and you could argue one of the steals in the draft.
From the moment Taylor walked on the field, you could see how good this guy could be as he rushed for more than 1000 yards as a rookie and then was the top rusher in his second season, where he surpassed 1600 yards on the ground. Expecting to put together another great season last year, Taylor dealt with injuries and an offensive line that didn't do their job, as yards were tough to come by for the Colts last season.
Even with that production, Irsay still doesn't believe in Taylor, which is why he has requested to be traded. Regarding the potential landing spots for Taylor, the Bears are not only a team that comes to mind but could be the favorite to land him for several reasons.
The most obvious is the head coach Matt Eberflus who was on the Colts staff during Taylor's first two years. Granted, Eberflus ran the defense those years, but Taylor still worked with him every day, and the two supposedly have a great relationship which is more than you can say about Irsay.
The second reason the Bears are an ideal fit is the offensive scheme that Luke Getsy and his staff have put together. Granted, Taylor is one of those backs that can adjust to anyone's system, but the Bears run one of those Zone-Blocking run schemes, which the Colts used when he was at his best.
Taylor has all the skills you look for in a RB, and with nearly 4000 yards rushing in his first three seasons, he has been a very productive back on a team that has struggled. Any time you are mentioned with a player of Taylor's ability, it is certainly worth paying attention to or, at the very least, kicking the tires on the situation.
Trading for Taylor would cost the Bears a lot, and it doesn't seem like this is something Ryan Poles would do. However, if this offseason has taught us anything, it would be to expect the unexpected, and we should never put anything past Poles at this point.
๐ง๐ฅ๐๐ก๐๐๐ก๐: An AFC scout says the #Bears are โthe first team that comes to mindโ as a trade candidate for Jonathan Taylor, per @MattLombardoNFL
โ JPAFootball (@jasrifootball) August 2, 2023
"Chicago's the first team that comes to mind. They run a zone-read combo-style offense, with a young quarterback in place, and aโฆ pic.twitter.com/OjWqGia8Jj
