The Indianapolis Colts firing general manager Chris Ballard has seemingly opened the door for some of their players to be traded.

Cincinnati Bengals fans are circling one name in particular: running back Jonathan Taylor.

Taylor has spent the last seven years in Indianapolis. He recently passed 8,000 career rushing yards, has made two of his three Pro Bowls over the last two seasons, and signed his third contract with the Colts this offseason.

Is a Taylor trade to the Bengals realistic? What would it cost Cincinnati? And why would the Bengals entertain the idea in the first place?

Let’s work through all three questions.

Why the Bengals would want Jonathan Taylor

Cincinnati has a mediocre rushing attack at best through six weeks, and it has not worked at all from under center. The Bengals rank 15th in EPA per rush and 13th in rushing success rate. Those middling numbers come despite a game two weeks ago against the Jacksonville Jaguars in which they ran for only 23 yards on 15 carries.

Starting running back Chase Brown has been a main culprit. He is averaging only 3.5 yards per carry on 71 attempts with one touchdown. Over his last two games, Brown has only 49 yards on 24 carries, an average of just over two yards per attempt.

There’s no question Taylor is the better tailback compared to Brown, and his production from this season is enough of an argument on its own. Taylor has 492 yards and seven touchdowns on 122 carries through six games. Over 80% of his yardage has come from under center concepts, and he’s averaging 4.4 yards per carry on those runs. He would be an obvious upgrade over Brown as the lead back in Cincinnati’s run game.

If the goal is building the best possible team to win a Super Bowl this year, replacing Brown with Taylor accomplishes that. The Bengals already proved they are willing to make aggressive trades for the short-term window when they acquired Dexter Lawrence this offseason. The messaging of urgency from Cincinnati has been constant all year. Trading for one of the best ball carriers in the league to solidify the run game would be an even more aggressive swing at a title right now.

What it would cost Cincinnati to trade for Taylor

Using the new A to Z Sports NFL trade simulator, I put together three avenues for the Bengals to get a deal done. All three are considered fair trades by the simulator.

Proposal 1: Day 2 pick only. The Bengals could send their second-round pick in the 2027 NFL Draft, currently projected to be No. 55 overall, to Indianapolis for Taylor straight up. This would be the cleanest transaction. No other picks, no other players, just a pick for a player.

Proposal 2: Chase Brown and multiple draft picks. Cincinnati could package Brown with its 2027 third-round pick, projected to be No. 87 overall, and its 2028 fourth-round pick for Taylor. The Colts would get an immediate replacement for their star back, a Day 2 pick in next year’s draft, and more future draft capital on top of it.

Proposal 3: Shemar Stewart and a Day 3 pick. The Bengals could send defensive end Shemar Stewart and their 2027 fourth-round pick for Taylor. Indianapolis would land a draft pick and a player even younger than Brown with more years of team control.

All of these packages are reasonable for both sides. That’s the appealing part from Cincinnati’s perspective. What comes after the trade, however, is where an obstacle lies.

A reality check for both sides

From the Bengals’ perspective, this would be a level up from the Lawrence trade. Yes, Lawrence was dealt for a top-10 pick and trading for Taylor shouldn’t cost that price, but like Lawrence, Taylor would most likely want a new contract after this season. Considering he signed for $22 million per year this offseason, he’s going to want at least that in his next deal.

That seems like far too much for the Bengals to pay a running back. Cincinnati is already paying big money to quarterback Joe Burrow and wide receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins.

The flip side matters too. Indianapolis just paid Taylor, and Colts expert Destin Adams doesn’t believe Taylor is likely to be moved at all because of that new contract. The Colts are entering a new era even if nothing drastic happens in the short term. A new general manager may not want Taylor on the books for the next two years after he signed a two-year, $44 million extension this offseason, but ownership may want to see that deal pay more dividends beyond this year.

Make no mistake, Taylor in stripes would be a fun pairing, and it wouldn’t cost the Bengals a king’s ransom in compensation. It would be a complete all-in move, and excitement would surge throughout the fanbase. It would also cost more than just draft capital to pull off, and would require them to completely ignore the future beyond this season.

If Cincinnati wants to get involved in any sort of liquidation of the Colts’ roster, it may need to look at other players.