Colts' Jonathan Taylor featured on 'best NFL team money can buy'

The Indianapolis Colts will treasure having a star running back like Jonathan Taylor on a rookie contract for as long as they can.

The players like Taylor end up adding the greatest value to the offence in terms of production cost as teams attempt to avoid paying running backs a lot of money on their second contracts.

Taylor was the featured starting running back on the "best NFL squad money can buy," an experiment done by NFL.com to create the finest roster possible under the league's $208.2 million salary limit

because he is still on his rookie deal with a salary-cap cost of just $2.13 million in 2022.

The positions held by Quenton Nelson, Darius Leonard, and Kenny Moore II were all open, but none of them were selected.

What they said regarding Taylor being the starting running back while still on his rookie contract is as follows:

Jonathan Taylor's second-round rookie contract and recent accomplishments as the youngest player (22) in NFL history with 2,000+ scrimmage yards and 20+ touchdowns made him an easy choice for RB1.

Taylor is on pace to break the NFL record for a player's first three seasons with 32 scrimmage touchdowns through his first two seasons.

The bronze busts of the four people now at the top of that list, Barry Sanders (age 47), Eric Dickerson (age 46), Gale Sayers (age 46), and Earl Campbell, are all located in Canton, Ohio (45).

Which Taylor season 2021 statistic is my favourite? According to Pro Football Focus, he recorded 1,272 more rushing yards after contact than any other player (1,259 for Nick Chubb, who came in second).

During his first two NFL seasons, Taylor accomplished amazing things. Although the running back position has become more interchangeable in recent years, Taylor's influence on the Colts offence cannot be replaced.

Although Taylor still has two years left on his rookie contract, it wouldn't be shocking if negotiations for a new agreement began after the 2022 campaign. The Colts might not want to wait until Taylor completes his third season in the NFL before offering him a new contract.

It will be interesting to see how everything turns out in the future, but Taylor is among the NFL's best values in terms of production costs.