INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Indianapolis Colts head coach Shane Steichen spoke on Wednesday and was noncommittal on whether star running back Jonathan Taylor would be playing this Sunday.

Taylor’s teammates, however, are beyond excited to have the former all-pro back on the field.

Colts’ Quarterback Anthony Richardson is as eager as anyone to have Taylor lined up in the backfield, as a star running back would take a lot of pressure off of the rookie passer.

“I’m excited for him to be able to come back,” Richardson said. “I know it’s been a while since he’s been on the field, and I know he is excited to be back, and I am excited to see what he does.”

Star linebacker and team captain Zaire Franklin had plenty to say about Taylor’s high-profile situation, which has been a huge talking point in the media since the beginning of the offseason.

“The outside says a whole lot of things. Before the season [the media] told us we might not win a game. Now everybody’s like, ‘Oh y’all might win the division,’” Franklin said. “The narrative changes. We love JT… I’m looking forward to having him back. We need him, we love to have him around.”

“We’re all excited to have JT,” cornerback Kenny Moore said. “We’ve all seen him at different points of the day, whether he’s working out or preparing in the training room so to be out there with all of us we know that the puzzle can be completed.”

“We all know how excited JT is to be out there,” linebacker EJ Speed said. “Him and [Anthony Richardson], we haven’t seen yet, so I’m excited to see how that’s going to gel.”

The Colts will take the field at Lucas Oil Stadium on Sunday at 1 p.m. for a matchup against Derrick Henry and the Tennessee Titans.

At 11 a.m., you can watch Indy’s only hour-long Colts pregame show on WISH-TV. The Emmy Award-winning ‘Countdown to Kickoff‘ brings Colts experts on with Anthony Calhoun and the WISH-TV Sports Team for an in-depth preview of the game ahead.

Analysts include former Colts head coach Chuck Pagano, former players Ken Dilger and Marlin Jackson, as well as 93.5/107.5 The Fan’s Kevin Bowen, who hosts the sports radio talk show “The Wake Up Call” on weekday mornings.

WISH-TV will also host a postgame show immediately following the conclusion of the game.

Related coverage

• Colts Insider says running back Jonathan Taylor is unlikely to play on Sunday
• A positive takeaway from the Colts’ overtime loss to the Rams

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