Packers failure to pull off blockbuster trade is a blessing in disguise

The Green Bay Packers were revealed to be the mystery team involved in trade talks for Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor. While the proposal of adding Taylor to a young core in Green Bay is intriguing, not being able to acquire his services is actually a blessing in disguise.

Even though Taylor is a superior running back to Aaron Jones and A.J. Dillon, the Packers are still in a pretty good position with their duo. The offense of Matt LaFleur can get the most out of average backs, and their backfield combo is better than that on a bad day.

Taylor could have made Jordan Love's job easier due to his talent level, but the Packers can still get good production from what they have on their roster currently.

Taylor's season being cut short due to an ankle injury last year saw him rush for only 861 yards and four touchdowns in 11 games, the lowest single-season total up to this point in his career. The high usage in his first three seasons, combined with the nature of this injury is a bit of a concern. Ankle injuries for running backs can become a recurring issue, which can ultimately limit their impact as time goes on.

Why the Packers shouldn't trade for Jonathan Taylor

There is also one more thing to consider: his contract. Taylor wants to get paid, and paying running backs is a risky proposition.

While Taylor is still only 24, the tail end of any contract extension will come at a time when running backs typically start to see a decline in effectiveness. Not taking on this type of contract helps the Packers be more financially flexible in the future, and it does not limit how much money they can allocate to future extensions.

What it comes down to is aligning competitive windows with high-end talent. Entering year one of the post-Aaron Rodgers era is not the right time to make a go-for-it, all-in type of move.

Once the team has a better idea of what they have at the quarterback position, a passenger or driver of the offense, then, and only then, would it be wise to start targeting high-end players to insert into their lineup.

Taylor in Green Bay would be very intriguing, but it is just not the right time for the Packers to make this type of move with all of the questions that they need answers to. Acquiring as much information as possible about their current roster should be priority number one at the current juncture. After that, it becomes appropriate to go "big game hunting" when it comes to adding external options.

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