Jonathan Taylor rushed for 1,169 yards and 11 touchdowns during his rookie year. In 2021, he led the NFL in rushing yards (1,811) and rushing touchdowns (18). As a result, he was named a First Team<\/a> All-Pro and was runner-up for Offensive Player of the Year. He was a Pro Bowler last season, finishing with 1,431 yards.<\/p>\n Taylor has averaged at least 100 rushing yards per game in two of his first five seasons. Hall of Famers Jim Brown<\/a> and Eric Dickerson<\/a> are the only other players who\u2019ve accomplished that feat.<\/p>\n Despite only playing five years, Taylor is already a Colts legend. We\u2019ll see if he can reach the top of the running back mountain in Indy.<\/p>\n In the past, the Colts have had a few superstar quarterbacks like Johnny Unitas, Peyton Manning<\/a>, and Andrew Luck. But you can\u2019t forget about their outstanding running backs. Outside of Jonathan Taylor, perhaps Edgerrin James, Marshall Faulk, Lydell Mitchell<\/a>, and Eric Dickerson are the franchise\u2019s greatest running backs.<\/p>\n The Colts drafted James fourth overall in 1999. He went on to play seven seasons in Indianapolis. He was a three-time First-Team All-Pro and led the league in rushing twice, including his rookie year. James is the Colts\u2019 all-time leader in rushing yards (9,226) and rushing touchdowns (64).<\/p>\n Faulk is known more for his time with the St. Louis (now Los Angeles) Rams<\/a>. He won a Super Bowl and an MVP award as a member of the Rams. However, Faulk was also a star in Indy, rushing for over 1,000 yards in four of his five seasons with the team.<\/p>\n Like Faulk, Dickerson is also known for his Rams career. Yet, he made the Pro Bowl twice as a Colt. He played just nine games in his first year in Indianapolis (1987), but still rushed for over 1,000 yards that season. Yeah, that\u2019s pretty impressive.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Mitchell had a sensational career with the Baltimore Colts during the 1970s. He served as a dual threat, showcasing his ability to run and catch passes. Mitchell led the league in receptions twice, and his 5,487 rushing yards are the third-most in franchise history.<\/p>\n Can Taylor Do It?<\/p>\n Edgerrin James is arguably the Colts\u2019 best running back of all time. If Jonathan Taylor<\/a> wants to become the RB G.O.A.T., he must surpass James\u2019 rushing yard total. Taylor is second on the franchise\u2019s all-time list with 6,013 yards<\/a>. He needs 3,214 yards to move past James.<\/p>\n To become the rushing leader, Taylor must stay healthy. He has struggled with injuries lately, only playing in more than 12 games in one of the past three seasons. And, of course, he has to stay in Indianapolis for several more years. Look for Taylor to eventually surpass James and become the Colts\u2019 all-time leading rusher. He plays like a superstar when healthy, and he should come away with a few more productive seasons.<\/p>\n Main Photo: [Grace Hollars\/IndyStar] \u2013 USA Today Sports<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Could Jonathan Taylor go down as the greatest running back in Indianapolis Colts history? While it won\u2019t be…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":165986,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[2059],"tags":[2005,7,2004,392,3562,2381,1753,6],"class_list":{"0":"post-165985","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-indianapolis-colts","8":"tag-colts","9":"tag-football","10":"tag-indianapolis","11":"tag-indianapolis-colts","12":"tag-indianapolis-colts-news","13":"tag-indianapoliscolts","14":"tag-jonathan-taylor","15":"tag-nfl"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/165985","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=165985"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/165985\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/165986"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=165985"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=165985"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=165985"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/USATSI_25120674_168402708_lowres-1024x683.jpg\")
Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor (28) rushes for a touchdown Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, during a game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
\nWill Jonathan Taylor Become the Indianapolis Colts\u2019 Greatest Running Back of All Time?
\nWho Are the Greatest Running Backs in Colts History?<\/p>\n