Most essential Colts, No. 2: Jonathan Taylor, believe it or not, has another gear to reach

In a salary-cap league like the NFL, finding building blocks is essential. As teams churn and burn the roster through the draft and bargain signings in free agency, it helps to find the players who are either a cut above the rest or can perform a task few others can. They bring security and relieve the pressure on everyone.

Over the next two weeks, we'll be ranking the 10 most essential players to the Colts' success in 2022. It's a subjective process, weighing factors such as ability, positional value within a scheme, age, leadership and durability.

To make it simpler, we're asking the following two questions about these players:

1. How difficult would he be to replace for more than a month?

2. What does the Colts' 2022 ceiling become if this player hits his?

Today, we're on to No. 2, Jonathan Taylor.

Here's the list so far:

10. Braden Smith, right tackle

9. Kenny Moore II, cornerback

8. Quenton Nelson, left guard

7. Stephon Gilmore, cornerback

6. Darius Leonard, linebacker

5. Yannick Ngakoue, defensive end

4. DeForest Buckner, defensive tackle

3. Michael Pittman Jr., wide receiver

2. Jonathan Taylor, running back

Position: Running back

Age: 23

Experience: 3rd NFL season, 3rd with Colts

Accolades: 30 starts in 32 games; NFL rushing title in 2021; First-Team All-Pro in 2021; 1 Pro Bowl

2021 stats: 17 games, 332 carries, 1,811 yards, 18 touchdowns, led the NFL in rushing yards and rushing touchdowns, Pro Bowl, First-Team All-Pro selection

Why he's here: Anyone who watched the 2021 Colts for any length of time knew which player was carrying the team. It wasn't always how they drew it up, but Jonathan Taylor still found a way.

Take the game in Buffalo, where he topped 200 yards and ran for five touchdowns over the AFC East champions. Or the Saturday night game against the Patriots, where he ripped off a 67-yard touchdown burst into a stacked box to top a surging opponent.

Taylor's season was so dominant and so efficient that the numbers to illustrate it are endless. In raw production, he had 1,811 rushing yards, 18 rushing touchdowns and 2,171 scrimmage yards, all No. 1 in the NFL. In efficiency, he averaged 5.5 yards per carry, No. 1 among all running backs; and had 481 rushing yards over expected, more than 200 more than the next-best player.

Taylor had arguably the best season by a running back since Adrian Peterson won the MVP in 2012. And yet, the Colts finished 9-8 and missed the playoffs. When teams sold out the final two weeks to make anyone but Taylor beat them, they succeeded enough, holding him to 93 yards per game with one total touchdown while beating the Colts twice.

The only drawback to Taylor's value to this team is the basic fact that he's a running back, and therefore, even he is limited in how far his dominance carries.

Nonetheless, the Colts have built an identity around Taylor. It's about maximizing his otherworldly running abilities, finding him a role in the passing game and weaponizing the attention he demands to open up exploitable matchups elsewhere. Carson Wentz failed to deliver on this opportunity a year ago, but it was there consistently when Taylor would draw nine men into the box and create either easy cushions or explosive play opportunities over the top.

The idea is that the addition of Matt Ryan will change that, as he'll be able to spot those mismatches before the snap and then be stable enough to exploit them. When defenses gear up to stop the pass, that's when Taylor can gash them on the ground.

If the Colts want to reach the Super Bowl, they might have to go on the road into a frigid place like Buffalo, Kansas City, Cincinnati or Baltimore, and that's when they'll really see the value of Taylor. He can also become an extension of Ryan's career in this second act, lightening the load and lessening the hits, allowing him to play point guard, knowing he has a horse in the backfield.

Statistically, Taylor cannot top what he did in 2021. But his value to the team and where he takes them still has another level to go.

Contact Colts insider Nate Atkins at natkins@indystar.com. Follow him on Twitter @NateAtkins_.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Colts: Why Jonathan Taylor is No. 2 among most essential players