NFL Trade Rumors: Would Rams trade for Jonathon Taylor?

Mosher’s NFL trade scenario

Pro Football Focus writer Marcus Mosher wrote a provocative article recently titled: 5 NFL trades that could shake up the 2023 offseason (subscription required). In this NFL Trade scenario, Mosher proposes that the LA Rams could consider trading their second-round pick, currently projected to be the 37th overall selection in the 2023 NFL Draft, to the Indianapolis Colts for veteran running back Jonathan Taylor.

Normally, that is where the story would end for me. I would read it, consider it an interesting trade scenario, and then put the story down for more relevant news. But Sports Illustrated writer Jake Arthur noticed the same article, and he wrote an article about the same trade scenario that would impact both the Indianapolis Colts and the LA Rams.

NFL Trade Rumors: Johnathan Taylor to LA Rams?

Not only did he write about the Mosher article, but he also broke down the paywall and detailed the suggested trade:

"RB JONATHAN TAYLOR TO LOS ANGELES RAMS The Rams were reportedly in the Christian McCaffrey sweepstakes before the San Francisco 49ers landed him ahead of the trade deadline. Could this be the offseason where the Rams try to upgrade their running back position once and for all? The Rams are notoriously aggressive, and it seems like Sean McVay would like to make one more run with Matthew Stafford, Cooper Kupp, and Aaron Donald. So what about a Taylor trade? Taylor is entering the final year of his contract, so the Indianapolis Colts might want to avoid making him the league’s highest-paid running back, as they are set to begin a rebuild. Could the Rams flip the No. 37 pick in this year’s draft, along with some other filler picks, to get the best pure running back in the league? This isn’t the wisest move for the Rams, but given their history and the fact that they tried to acquire McCaffrey last year, it makes some sense. Putting Taylor on this offense with the rest of their weapons would be a ton of fun to watch. – PFF Marcus Mosher as reported by Sports Illustrated’s Jake Arthur"

So now the specifics are available. One trade that sends a star NFL running back to the LA Rams for the cost of a second-round pick. Intrigued? Let’s break this one down:

The Indianapolis Colts realized in 2022 that the NFL’s heyday for running backs is less popular in the modern NFL offense and Johnathan Taylor is a bit of a running back who needs to work. Taylor fell to an ankle injury on December 19, 2022, and only played in 11 games in the 2022 NFL season. That means that he is a bit of a risk to any team he is projected to play for in the 2023 NFL season.