On Monday night, the Cleveland Browns lost star running back Nick Chubb for the remainder of the season.
When Chubb went down during the second quarter with multiple torn ligaments in his left knee, he already had 64 yards on just 10 carries.
Jerome Ford replaced Chubb and reeled off 106 yards of his own on 16 carries but the Browns still lost to Pittsburgh, 26-22.
Even with Ford eclipsing the century mark, some media members are calling on Cleveland to bring in an experienced running back to take Chubb’s place.
During an episode of First Take with Stephen A. Smith on Tuesday, talking head Pat McAfee had an interesting name as a replacement.
How about Jonathan Taylor… pic.twitter.com/eEonwSSRMa
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) September 19, 2023
After Shannon Sharpe mentioned that Chubb’s absence is a “monumental loss” for the team, McAfee responded, “How about Jonathan Taylor?”
Smith then countered by asking McAfee what Cleveland would have to give up to get the Indianapolis Colts running back.
“Just give us Amari Cooper!” said McAfee, who was a punter for the Colts from 2009-2016. “That’s no problem, give us Amari Cooper. Give us him, we’ll take him, we’ll take Brownie the Elf…”
McAfee’s pitch for Brownie elicited laughs from everyone on set.
This past summer, Taylor expressed resentment that the Colts did not give him a lofty extension on his rookie contract a year early.
After initially declaring that he would not deal Taylor, Indianapolis owner Jim Irsay gave Taylor permission to seek a trade on August 21.
Jim Irsay weighed in on Jonathan Taylor's trade request 😳 pic.twitter.com/r389zDZVKG
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) July 30, 2023
Irsay also gave Taylor an August 29 deadline to find a new team.
That date came and went with no suitors coming forward to meet the owner’s asking price of a first-round pick in return.
Taylor is still on the Colts roster but is currently on the physically unable to perform list.
Because of the presumed bad blood between the running back and Irsay, there’s little doubt that Taylor could still be dealt if a team made an intriguing offer.
However, given the Browns’ struggles in the passing game, it’s highly unlikely that Cooper would be included in a possible trade.
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