This is a report, not a done deal: NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport says the Colts’ veteran linemen, not Jonathan Taylor, are the realistic trade candidates before Nov. 10.
Let us be clear at the top, because deadline season demands it: no trade has been made here. This is a trade report. DeForest Buckner and guard Quenton Nelson — not running back Jonathan Taylor — are the Indianapolis Colts players most likely to be moved before the Nov. 10 deadline, NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport reported Monday, Oct. 26, per Colts Wire.
“The Colts view him as a big part of their franchise turnaround,” Rapoport said of Taylor on NFL Network’s “The Aftermath,” per Colts Wire. “Anyone can be had via trade, but this one is gonna be pricey if it happens. DeForest Buckner and Quenton Nelson are probably more likely pieces to be traded. I know the San Francisco 49ers have some interest in DeForest Buckner. I know Quenton Nelson has a lot of interest around the league.”
Why the Colts are listening
Indianapolis fell to 2-5 with Sunday’s 16-10 loss to the Minnesota Vikings, and the front office is in transition following general manager Chris Ballard’s dismissal, per Colts Wire. According to an ESPN report on Sunday cited by Colts Wire, the Colts planned to evaluate their games against Minnesota, Jacksonville and Dallas before deciding whether to become sellers. Monday’s report suggests that evaluation is tilting toward listening — at least on the veterans, if not on the 27-year-old face of the offense.
Taylor’s numbers explain why Indianapolis wants a premium price or no deal at all. He has 587 rushing yards and a league-leading eight touchdowns this season, per the Indianapolis Star, which also reported that ESPN insiders view the Seattle Seahawks, Green Bay Packers, Denver Broncos and Minnesota Vikings as potential bidders if Taylor ever truly hits the market. ESPN’s Adam Schefter, appearing on the Pat McAfee Show on Monday, predicted “double-digit” trades league-wide before the deadline and likened a potential Taylor deal to the blockbuster that sent Christian McCaffrey to San Francisco in 2022, suggesting a second-round pick and a fifth-round pick as the price range, per Bleacher Report.
Buckner is the name to watch
Of the three names, Buckner is the one with a reported suitor attached. A return to San Francisco — where he starred before Indianapolis acquired him — would give the 49ers an interior disruptor for a playoff run, and Rapoport’s reporting puts their interest on the record, per Colts Wire. Nelson, one of the league’s most decorated guards, carries what Rapoport described as widespread interest around the league, per Colts Wire. Either move would signal a genuine reset in Indianapolis; holding both through Nov. 10 would signal the opposite — that the Colts still see a second-half run in a winnable stretch of their schedule.
That is the fork in the road, and it is why this report matters more than most deadline chatter. Taylor grabs the headline because he is the star, but front offices trade the veterans around the star when they rebuild. If Buckner or Nelson is wearing a new uniform on Nov. 11, the Colts will have told you exactly what they think of their own timeline — no press conference required.
The 247 Take — Believe the quiet part of Rapoport’s report. Teams do not float two franchise linemen by accident two weeks before the deadline. The Colts are taking calls; the only real question left is whether San Francisco or somebody else pays the price first.
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Sources: Colts Wire / USA Today; Bleacher Report; Indianapolis Star
