Colts expect Jonathan Taylor to return to camp this week

INDIANAPOLIS — All-Pro running back Jonathan Taylor, who remains at odds with the Indianapolis Colts over his contract situation, is expected to return to training camp this week, according to coach Shane Steichen.

Taylor has been rehabilitating an ankle injury at an out-of-state facility since early last week, choosing to continue his recovery there rather than with team personnel. But Steichen said Sunday that Taylor will be back in the coming days.

“He should be back this week,” Steichen said. “Do I know the exact date he’ll be back? No, but he should be back.”

Steichen said a decision on whether Taylor returns to the lineup remains in the hands of the team’s medical staff, which must clear him before he can be activated from the physically unable to perform list. Taylor was placed on the PUP list when he reported to camp July 25 and has been sidelined since.

Taylor has consistently made his intention clear to the team that he’ll return to the field when he is 100% healthy, a source told ESPN, part of his effort to avoid the recurring ankle issues that hampered him throughout the 2022 season. The decision to continue rehab elsewhere was a continuation of that effort, the source said.

The Colts have declined to engage in contract negotiations with Taylor, the 2021 NFL rushing leader who is scheduled to become a free agent after the season. That position resulted in Taylor making a trade request — one that Colts owner Jim Irsay said publicly would not be accommodated. Taylor continues to hold out hope for a trade, and the parties have been in a standoff ever since, with no clear resolution in sight.

Taylor, 24, ranks fourth in the NFL with 3,841 rushing yards since entering the league in 2020. His 33 rushing touchdowns rank second in that span.