Indianapolis launched a fire sale last week, sending two key players -- defensive tackle DeForest Buckner and guard Quenton Nelson -- to NFC title contenders and recouping draft capital.
While both are big names, neither is the biggest fish on the Colts' roster. That title belongs to running back Jonathan Taylor, whose name continues to circulate ahead of next Tuesday's trade deadline.
Indianapolis could move him for the right price. He's under a recently signed contract extension, meaning he'll be under team control with his next employer should the Colts trade him. He's also still at the peak of his powers as one of the NFL's best running backs.
The Colts aren't interested in solely playing the market, though. Coach Shane Steichen told reporters Wednesday ahead of their Week 9 game against the Cowboys that he isn't limiting Taylor's workload amid trade rumors, despite the fact a standard amount of carries could expose him to a greater risk of injury -- and thus, diminished return if the Colts trade him.
"I think there's a lot of stuff out there right now, but he's on our football team and he's excited for this opportunity to play. He wants to go win this game," Steichen said, via The Associated Press. "There's a lot of hypotheticals out there on the trade talks right now, but he's on our football team."
To Taylor's credit, he isn't taking any plays off or letting his mind wander to a possible next destination. The running back has explained in detail how he and his Colts teammates are approaching the remainder of the season following the firing of general manager Chris Ballard and beginning steps of an anticipated roster teardown.
"Teams are going to look at us even more, foaming at the mouth," Taylor said after Indy's Week 8 loss in Jacksonville. "Your back is against the wall, what are you going to do? You're going to have to fight your way out of a corner. This is not getting nowhere near any easier, you've got to accept that, and when you accept that, that's just the first step."
Despite the downturn, Indianapolis isn't shipping out every valuable player. The Colts received but have not fulfilled receiver Josh Downs' trade request and he played in last Sunday's defeat, and they have since extended rising star defensive tackle Adetomiwa Adebawore on a two-year deal reportedly worth $35 million.
But as he approaches his 28th birthday in January, Taylor isn't quite in the early stages of his career that would make him a guaranteed part of the Colts' future, inspiring trade rumblings.
For now, the Colts will continue as constructed until told otherwise by the front office. That could change with a phone call in the next week, of course, but it's all Steichen's squad can do amid the uncertainty.
"I think all the guys that are on our football team are getting ready to go play a football game," he said. "Those are the conversations I've had with those guys (in the front office), that we're going out to try to go win a football game right now. That's where we're at."
