J.J. Taylor

Joseph Justyn Taylor (born January 4, 1998) is an American former professional football running back, and return specialist. He played college football for the Arizona Wildcats. Taylor is also a professional Rocket League esports player of Team Oxygen.

Early life Taylor graduated in 2016 from Centennial High School in Corona, California. After converting from defensive back to running back, he was named Mr. Football as state's top offensive player by CalHiSports.com. Taylor rushed for 261 yards and two touchdowns on 38 carries, even though he barely played in Arizona's first game of the season against BYU. The best proof came in a two-game stretch where Taylor rushed for a combined 267 yards on 37 carries with two touchdowns, particularly in Arizona's dominant win over Hawaii in Week 3. Taylor was poised for a breakout freshman season before the injury in Pac-12 opener, which occurred during the Wildcats’ fourth game against Washington. He still totaled 97 yards on 19 carries with a touchdown.

2017 season Taylor, a redshirt freshman from Corona, California, played in all 12 games and was the Pac-12's top freshman rusher with 828 yards (6.1 yards/carry), averaged 69.0 yards per game, and added five touchdowns. He rushed for a career-best 153 yards on 14 carries (10.9 avg.) with two touchdowns vs. Washington State. Taylor was a major contributor to Arizona's ground game that averaged 324.4 yards per game (3rd in the FBS) and a school single-season team record 48 rushing touchdowns. Arizona rushed for 300 or more yards seven times, including a pair of 500+ yard games with a UA single-game record 534 yards vs. Oregon State. He was the Pac-12 Offensive Freshman of the Year. His redshirt sophomore year finished with 1,434 rushing yards and, 49 receiving yards, and seven total touchdowns.

Professional career

New England Patriots Taylor signed with the New England Patriots as an undrafted free agent on May 5, 2020. On September 5, 2020, he was waived by the team and signed to the practice squad the following day. He was promoted to the active roster on September 7, 2020. Taylor made his professional debut in the Patriots Week one victory over the Miami Dolphins.

Arguably his best game as a pro came on October 24, 2021. Taylor rushed for 21 yards and had two touchdowns during a Patriots 54–13 win over the New York Jets.

On August 30, 2022, Taylor was waived by the Patriots and signed to the practice squad the next day. He was promoted to the active roster on November 5. He was waived on November 21 and re-signed to the practice squad. He signed a reserve/future contract on January 10, 2023. He was released on August 29, 2023.

Houston Texans On November 1, 2023, Taylor was signed to the Houston Texans' practice squad. He signed a reserve/future contract with Houston on January 22, 2024.

Taylor was released by the Texans on August 27, 2024, and re-signed to the practice squad. He was promoted to the active roster on October 30. Taylor signed a reserve/future contract with Houston on January 21, 2025. On August 19, Taylor was released by the Texans.

Winnipeg Blue Bombers On February 2, 2026, Taylor signed with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League. He retired from professional football on April 30.

Career statistics Legend Bold Career high

NFL Year Team Games Rushing Receiving Fumbles GP GS Att Yds Avg Lng TD Rec Yds Avg Lng TD Fum Lost 2020 NE 6 0 23 110 4.8 28 0 1 4 4.0 4 0 0 0 2021 NE 5 0 19 37 1.9 15 2 4 8 2.0 5 0 1 1 2022 NE 1 0 10 9 0.9 5 0 1 8 8.0 4 0 0 0 2024 HOU 5 0 10 44 4.4 9 0 2 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 Career 17 0 62 200 3.2 28 2 8 20 2.5 8 0 1 1

College Season Team Class Rushing Receiving Scrimmage 2016 Arizona FR 38 261 6.9 2 2 16 8.0 0 40 277 6.9 2 2017 Arizona FR 146 847 5.8 5 12 49 4.1 2 158 896 5.7 7 2018 Arizona SO 255 1,434 5.6 6 16 133 8.3 0 271 1,567 5.8 6 2019 Arizona JR 148 721 4.9 5 32 289 9.0 0 180 1,010 5.6 5 Career 587 3,263 5.6 18 62 487 7.9 2 649 3,750 5.8 20