Report: Colts' Zack Moss Suffers Broken Arm Injury Amid Jonathan Taylor Trade Request

Indianapolis Colts running back Zack Moss suffered a broken arm Monday at practice, according to NFL Network's Mike Garafolo.

Garafolo reported Moss is expected to be out around six weeks.

The timing of the injury couldn't be much worse for the Colts. Not only do they start the regular season Sept. 10 against the Jacksonville Jaguars, but they're also engaged in a standoff with Jonathan Taylor.

Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported Saturday the 2021 All-Pro has requested a trade. Team owner Jim Irsay made it clear Indianapolis won't acquiesce to his wishes:

Taylor is in the last year of his rookie contract and watching the running back market get squeezed further and further. He's clearly incentivized to get as much money as he can as soon as possible, whether it's by the Colts or another franchise.

However, Irsay was pretty emphatic about the organization's stance.

Indianapolis is probably even less inclined to trade Taylor with Moss out injured, though Moss' absence could be a double-edged sword.

Taylor becomes even more important to the offense at a time when he seemed to have little leverage in his impasse with the Colts.

The 24-year-old remains on the physically unable to perform list for now, but a full holdout is both very costly and somewhat self-defeating. Sooner or later he's bound to suit up.

But having Taylor feeling disgruntled and alienated isn't ideal for Indianapolis when his replacement appears likely to miss at least some portion of the upcoming year.

Moss ran for 365 yards and one touchdown in eight games with the team in 2022. Before the elbow injury, fans might have been able to talk themselves into the idea of him being a serviceable enough solution in the backfield.

Without Moss, the Colts are reduced to leaning on a number of unproven alternatives to be the No. 1 running back.

Nobody assumes Taylor will imminently become the NFL's highest-paid running back in the wake of Moss' injury.

But the relative interchangeability of even elite ball-carriers is typically cited to explain why teams are reluctant to pay top dollar at the position. That's a luxury the Colts can no longer enjoy, and Taylor's agent will be all too happy to remind them of that.