Evan Barnes: Why the Giants need to trade for Colts RB Jonathan Taylor
Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor. Credit: AP/Bruce Kluckhohn
Before the Giants’ season resumes Sunday, let’s remember one of the great scenes from their overtime win in Houston.
Cam Skattebo, Tyrone Tracy Jr. and Devin Singletary celebrated with arms over their shoulders like the Three Musketeers. All three running backs scored in the best Giants win so far under John Harbaugh.
Now look at them. Tracy will miss at least the next four games with a hamstring injury. Skattebo is day-to-day with his own hamstring injury. Singletary is the last one standing. Even after the rushing attack’s finest hour, the Giants still need help.
They need a dynamic runner to elevate the room and help fuel the push for an NFC East title and a playoff berth. Skattebo inspires joy but his low yards per carry is a reminder that his future isn’t being a No. 1 back.
That’s why the Giants must trade for Jonathan Taylor. Put a package together for the Colts running back before next Tuesday’s trade deadline and see if the Colts bite.
Taylor is waiting for a life raft while on a sinking ship. The Colts are floundering with general manager Chris Ballard fired and the team fresh off a 42-7 loss to the Jaguars. They already traded key pieces in Quenton Nelson and DeForest Buckner.
Taylor is the big fish that needs to be sent overboard to better shores. Why shouldn’t New York be an option?
Harbaugh showed how far he’s willing to inquire about players. He confirmed a report from The Athletic that he reached out to Titans owner Amy Adams Strunk about a potential deal for Jeffrey Simmons.
Simmons was traded to the Bears. But Harbaugh isn’t afraid to do whatever to make a big move.
“That's always the goal. Easier said than done,” he said Monday. “And it's hard to find players that can make you better, because we have good players. Very good players. So, it's got to be something that is a need, that fits your financial profile, that fits your price tag.”
So why does Taylor fit? He has four seasons of at least 1,100 yards and 10 touchdowns and is on pace for a fifth in his seventh season. Since his rookie season in 2020, his 19 runs of at least 40 yards are second-most behind Derrick Henry’s 21.
He’s a bell-cow with three seasons of over 300 carries. More on that later, but the Giants could lighten his load with Skattebo and Tracy under contract together through 2027.
Taylor can help take pressure off Malik Nabers, Isaiah Likely and J.J. McCarthy. An elite running back commanding attention means less on those three so they can operate easier.
The Giants, if you need reminding, are 15th in rushing offense and 20th in yards per carry. There’s no pop in that backfield. Just some bang with an occasional boom. That’s what Taylor can fix, assuming the offensive line blocks better for him.
Now let’s get real. It will require serious draft capital to get him. The Giants have a first, second and third round pick next year and a pick in each round in 2028.
Should the Giants mortgage some of their future for a running back when other needs are evident? Harbaugh was fine parting with future picks if it was smart to do so. So was general manager Joe Schoen.
“If it makes sense right now for us to do something in the short term and long term, we're going to look at any opportunity that we can to upgrade the roster,” Schoen said last week. “And, again, there's avenues that we can try to recoup draft picks down the road.”
There’s also an atonement angle. The Giants let Saquon Barkley walk in free agency in 2024 and have been paying for it ever since. Taylor fixes that sin.
Also, he’s got a lot of miles for a 27-year-old. His 1,699 carries since 2020 are second-most behind Henry. That’s on top of the 926 carries he had in three years at Wisconsin. There’s a chance the Giants pay for that wear and tear, but it’s worth the risk.
Taylor also signed a $44 million extension that kicks in next year. However, his 2027 salary isn’t guaranteed until Feb. 25, and he has no guaranteed money in 2028.
This wouldn’t be a rental, though. If the Giants get Taylor, he’s part of their plans next year with a healthy Jaxson Dart. Would that keep the Giants from pursuing upgrades at other positions, especially when they need more help at defensive tackle to fix the run game?
It’s all worth asking. But remember, the Three Musketeers weren’t the main heroes in the story. It was D’Artagnan: an outsider who befriends and is mentored by the trio and eventually becomes a stronger character.
Sounds like what the Giants need, right? What they have is fine, but chasing someone like Taylor shows they’re serious about chasing the division title and the playoffs.
Evan Barnes covers the Giants for Newsday. He previously covered the Brooklyn Nets, Memphis football and the Memphis Grizzlies and also covered prep sports in Los Angeles.
