New England Patriots RB Joseph Justyn Taylor (more commonly referred to as J.J.) impressed in relatively limited action for the Patriots in Week 1 of the preseason. Who is J.J. Taylor, and could he make an impact at RB for the Patriots in 2021?
J.J. Taylor had a mixed college career
Coming out of high school in California, Taylor was named Mr. Football as the state’s top offensive player after posting 2,290 yards and 44 touchdowns as a senior. He committed to Arizona, where he spent four seasons — with mixed results.
Taylor played immediately as a freshman, posting 261 yards and 2 touchdowns on 37 carries. However, he was injured in Week 4 of his freshman season, resulting in him redshirting. He was the top redshirt freshman in the Pac-12 in 2017, with 847 yards and 5 touchdowns.
In 2018, Taylor dominated the carries for Arizona (255), leading to 1,434 rushing yards and 6 touchdowns, adding 133 receiving yards and a receiving touchdown. However, despite playing 11 games in 2019, he failed to really build upon that 2018 campaign. Taylor saw just 148 carries for 721 yards and 5 touchdowns. On the positive side, he pulled in 32 receptions for 289 yards.
Taylor’s performance at Arizona was not enough to get drafted
Taylor finished his college career with 3,263 rushing yards, 18 rushing touchdowns, 62 receptions, 487 receiving yards, and 2 touchdowns. While that was not enough to see him drafted in the 2020 NFL Draft, he was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Patriots.
A promising start to his NFL career
Hampered by the lack of preseason, Taylor did not make the Patriots’ initial 53-man roster. However, he showed enough to be signed to the practice squad the following day. Two days after he had been waived, Taylor was back on the active roster.
Taylor made his debut in Week 1 against the Dolphins. He carried the ball 4 times for 28 yards, adding a reception for 4 yards. He was active for all of the first three games, seeing a total of 25 snaps on offense but touching the ball 17 times. In Week 3, Taylor had 11 carries for 43 yards and a single target.
After being inactive through the middle of the season, Taylor played in the final three games. Again he saw just 25 snaps, this time registering 7 carries for 40 yards. While he did not make a huge impact overall, seeing a total of 24 touches on 50 offensive snaps demonstrated the Patriots were looking to get the ball in his hands when he was active.
Could Taylor make the Patriots’ roster in 2021?
Despite just a pair of targets in 2020, Taylor may be in line for a pass-catching role with the Patriots. He was targeted 5 times in Week 1 of the preseason, with 4 targets coming from rookie QB Mac Jones. Week 1 depicted an immediate comfort level between Jones and Taylor.
Taylor’s chances of seeing regular-season snaps decreased when the team brought back James White this offseason. Still, the targets in Week 1, combined with the fact the Patriots were willing to let White walk initially, show they must have some level of comfort with Taylor in the passing game.
There appears to be a good chance that the Patriots’ RB will make the 2021 roster, even if it is in a special teams or backup role. Yet, there is significant competition at running back with Damien Harris, Sony Michel, James White, and Rhamondre Stevenson all competing for a spot on the roster.
Ben Rolfe is a Senior Managing Editor at Pro Football Network and is also a member of the Fantasy Sports Writers Association (FSWA). You can find him on Twitter @BenRolfePFN.