'It sucks': Everything Colts RB Jonathan Taylor said about his ankle injury

INDIANAPOLIS — Jonathan Taylor initially thought his high ankle sprain was not as severe as the one he suffered before.

But the Colts running back has not practiced since suffering the injury late in a win over the Steelers, and Taylor was not on the practice field during the portion media is allowed to view.

Faced with an extended absence, Taylor opened up about the injury before practice on Thursday, updating his status as he tries to return from the high ankle sprain.

Question: How does it look for you to practice this week and possibly play on Sunday?

Answer: “I’m getting super excited, just continuing to push forward. You guys actually caught me when I was in the middle of my work right there, but I knew had to come and talk to you guys before I finish up. We’ve been progressing every single day, just pushing myself, trying to find a way to get the pain out. Anything you can do. Anything you can do to get back on the field with your guys you’ve been working, scratching and clawing with all offseason, all training camp and all offseason. Doing everything in my power to get back on that field.”

Q: What indications are you getting that you are getting better?

A: “As we continue to do more exercises, different movement, no pain, less pain and actually being able to do the movement. That’s the biggest thing right now.”

Q: How would you assess the pain level?

A: “The pain level has definitely gone down. That’s really the first thing, because really, you can’t even do a lot of the movements if the pain is too high. A lot of things you can definitely work through, but there’s definitely a point where you can’t, you can’t do it.”

Q: Will you practice today?

A: “I’ve still got to go do some work in there to see how I’m feeling, see if we can even attempt to go out there and try to do my job. Try to do my job for my teammates.”

Q: When you injured your ankle, did you anticipate it being this long?

A: “Once they said high ankle, I knew high ankles are usually four to six (weeks), but you know, me, attacking different rehabs and injuries, I was like, there’s no way. I’ve just got to do everything in my power to keep chopping that down every single day.”

Q: Was there any talk about going on injured reserve?

A: “I never like to throw that around. Especially being on PUP last year. That’s definitely not a place you want to be if you don’t have to be there. If you feel like, hey, with the training staff, we can potentially avoid that, that’s always a positive.”

Q: How much of it is about functionality versus reinjury?

A: “As far as doing the movements? It’s more so, can you even do it at all?”

Q: How much has this weighed on you, this ankle has been a problem for a long time?

A: “Yeah, it has been. The only good thing about it was when you don’t hear the word surgery, we know this is fixable. We know we can come back better, stronger, faster. When you don’t hear those words thrown around, then you’re like, ‘OK, there’s a chance, and there will be another side to this.’ Just keeping that end goal in mind. That’s what’s been fueling me, the fans, my teammates, my coaches, that’s what’s been fueling me to chop this down to get back on the field, because it sucks. It really sucks when you can’t be out there having fun with your guys. I definitely had fun watching them win this past week, but it definitely would be more fun being out there with them.”

Q: For a long time, you didn’t have to deal with injuries. Now that you have, have you thought about mortality in the game?

A: “No, I mean, you understand the injury rate’s 100&. There’s been a multitude of things, not only myself, but plenty of guys have played through. It just sucks that now you’ve had a little stint where it’s an actual injury that you couldn’t play through, and you’re like, ‘Oh my gosh, why? What’s going on?’ You might think about what you’re doing in the offseason, and in-season, but you’ve got to remember, it’s a contact sport, there’s a lot of things you can’t prevent. You’ve just got to keep that in mind and know the work you’ve been doing has been beneficial.”

Q: When the team is struggling to run the ball, do you feel added pressure to get out there?

A: “Definitely, for sure. When I’m able to do the movements, that’s the biggest thing. If you just can’t do it, then you’re really hindering your team, rather than just going out there and trying to provide something. It’s like, if you literally can’t even do the movement, you’re better off not being out there, because now you’re a liability.”

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Colts running back Jonathan Taylor injury history

Taylor missed one game in 2020 with COVID-19, was questionable for one game with a knee injury in 2020 but played, missed a total of 6 games in three stints due to his ankle in 2022 and missed three games in 2023 due to a thumb injury.

Who is Jonathan Taylor's backup on the Colts depth chart?

Trey Sermon and Tyler Goodson .

Trey Sermon's fantasy football value

Sermon had 21 yards on 18 carries. He has 83 yards on 37 carries and 2 scores this season with 7 catches for 32 yards.

Tyler Goodson's fantasy football value

Goodson was the far more productive back vs. the Titans with 51 rushing yards on 8 carries and 4 catches for 14 yards. He has 77 rushing yards on 13 carries and 47 receiving yards on 8 catches for the season.

What is Colts RB Jonathan Taylor's injury?

Taylor acknowledged Tuesday he's dealing with a high ankle sprain, which generally has a 4- to 6-week recovery period but can take less or more time to heal.

What are Colts RB Jonathan Taylor's 2024 NFL season stats?

Jonathan Taylor has rushed for 349 yards and 4 touchdowns on 72 carries this season, a 4.8-yard average. He has caught 6 passes for 77 yards, a 12.8-yard average.

on had his first carries of the season -- 5 for 26 yards -- and caught 3 passes for 31 yards against the Jaguars.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: 'It sucks': Everything Colts RB Jonathan Taylor said about his ankle injury