The Indianapolis Colts could make a Jonathan Taylor trade with the Baltimore Ravens now that the running back is officially allowed to test the market. For the Ravens, this deal would provide Lamar Jackson and new offensive coordinator Todd Monken more weapons to work with and give Baltimore one of the most dangerous offenses in the league. For the Colts, this trade would help the team rebuild and give rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson a quality young RB in JK Dobbins. Here is the perfect Jonathan Taylor trade that the Ravens must offer the Colts.

Ravens Johnathan Taylor trade: JK Dobbins, 2024 second- and seventh-round picks

A Jonathan Taylor trade is in the works, but there are several impediments to it happening. First, the Colts want a first-round pick for the All-Pro back. No team has traded a No. 1 for a TB since Indianapolis gave a first-rounder to the Cleveland Browns for Trent Richardson in 2013, and that was an unmitigated disaster.

Second, the team that brings Taylor in will have to give him a big-money, long-term deal, which — as any NFL fan knows right now — teams are hesitant to do.

All that said, Taylor was a special back in 2021, leading the NFL in carries, rushing yards, rushing touchdowns, yards per game, yards from scrimmage, and total TDs. He is a player whom teams would consider giving a bigger deal to, and with the season about to kick off, there are franchises that should be willing to do that.

The oddsmakers in Las Vegas think that the Ravens are one of those franchises.

Baltimore has the third-best odds (+700) to land Taylor, only behind the Miami Dolphins (+250) and Chicago Bears (+400).

The Ravens re-signed Lamar Jackson to a megadeal this offseason, and now they are loading up around him. They got rid of polarizing OC Greg Roman and brought in the innovative Monken, who has been the OC at Georgia for their last two national championships. They also signed Odell Beckham Jr. and drafted wide receiver Zay Flowers. Those players join an excellent pass-catching group that already includes TE Mark Andrews, TE Isaiah Likely, WR Devin Duvernay, and WR Rashod Bateman.

Running back is the only position that the Ravens didn’t upgrade or truly lockdown this offseason. JK Dobbins, Gus Edwards, and Justice Hill are still the backs, with 30-year-old veteran Melvin Gordon III coming in to help out.

Ravens fans already know what this group gets you: A good running game, but not a dynamic one.

A Jonathan Taylor trade would change that. He could be the missing piece that takes the Ravens over the top in the brutal AFC this season.

And for that, the Ravens would give the Colts Dobbins, a second-round pick, and the extra seventh-rounder they have from the New York Jets just to sweeten the deal. Giving up a first-round pick doesn’t make sense, and with the way Baltimore operates, there is almost no chance that will happen.

This is about as good a deal as the Colts can get for Taylor. If they hold out for a No. 1, they risk getting nothing, including Taylor’s services, this season. And, in Dobbins, the team gets a 24-year-old back with two more years left on his contract who can help the team’s rookie quarterback develop right away.

This perfect Ravens-Colts trade is a win-win for all involved, so who says no?