Taylor and fellow running back Nyhiem Hines will sit out the team's final preseason game to rest and prepare for Week 1 at Houston, Joel Erickson of The Indianapolis Star reports.
While neither Taylor nor Hines has missed an NFL game due to injury, coach Frank Reich is wise to hold them out given the high injury rate among RBs in general. Reich made at least two comments this summer suggesting Hines will be more involved in the passing game than he was last year, but that's about the only negative for Taylor, who caught 36 passes as a rookie and 40 last season. He'll still get some targets and dominate carries while running behind a top offensive line, and QB Matt Ryan figures to be at least a slight upgrade on Carson Wentz. Both Taylor and Ryan get nice matchups to start the season, facing a Houston defense that looks average or worse at every position group.