Colts might need to add RB due to Taylor's absence, injuries to Moss, Hull
Colts might need to add RB due to Taylor's absence, injuries to Moss, Hull
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INDIANAPOLIS — It sounds like the Colts might add a new face to the running back room this week.
Veteran Zack Moss did not play Sunday after practicing last week, rookie Evan Hull is dealing with a knee injury that could knock him out of the lineup and Jonathan Taylor will be on the reserve/physically unable to perform list for the next three weeks.
Third-year back Deon Jackson struggled in the starting role in Sunday’s loss to Jacksonville, leaving the door open for a potential signing.
“We’re always evaluating everything,” Indianapolis head coach Shane Steichen said. “We’re looking through stuff. (General manager) Chris (Ballard) and his staff do a heck of a job looking through all of that.”
Colts Insider:For Colts, Jonathan Taylor is not an interchangeable running back
Indianapolis rushed for just 65 yards on 26 carries, and more than two-thirds of that yardage came from starting quarterback Anthony Richardson.
Richardson picked up 40 yards on 10 carries, leaving just 25 yards on 16 carries by running backs, a lack of production that made it difficult for Indianapolis to sustain drives. The Colts ran four plays or fewer on 11 of their 14 offensive series, and the offense failed to pick up 10 yards on 10 of those drives.
“We’ve got to run it better,” Steichen said. “We’ve got to be more efficient.”
Taylor, who was not at Sunday’s game after a public contract dispute and unfulfilled trade request in training camp, is reportedly healthy, but because he is on the reserve/PUP list, he has to miss the first four games of the season.
Moss is supposed to be the team’s primary backup at the position, but a broken arm suffered early in training camp ended up forcing him to miss the season opener Sunday.
The fourth-year back, who rushed for 334 yards in the final four games of the 2022 season in place of an injured Taylor, returned to practice last week, was initially listed as questionable on the team’s injury report Friday, downgraded to doubtful Saturday and then scratched from the active roster on Sunday.
It is possible that Moss is healthy enough to return to the lineup against the Texans.
“He is progressing in the right direction,” Steichen said. “It’s the same deal this week.”
Hull’s situation is murkier.
The fifth-round pick from Northwestern told IndyStar on Sunday that the initial belief was that his ACL was unaffected and that he’d avoided serious injury, but he was getting set to go through scans later to determine the injury’s severity.
“He’s just dealing with the knee,” Steichen said. “He could miss some time. We’ll see. … We’ll have an update later.”
Once Hull went down, the Colts were down to two active running backs against Jacksonville: Jackson and journeyman Jake Funk, who was promoted from the practice squad for Sunday’s game.
Jackson rushed 13 times for just 14 yards, caught five passes for another 14 yards and fumbled twice, failing to get into a rhythm at any point.
“I’ve got to hold onto the ball,” Jackson said.
With Taylor unavailable, Steichen’s plan has been to deploy a committee at the running back position, but just about every back on the roster has now battled injury at one point or the other since the beginning of training camp, leaving the Colts without enough options to truly pull off the committee approach.
If Hull is forced to miss extended time — Indianapolis has the option to place the rookie on injured reserve, a move that would cost Hull four games but allow the Colts an extra roster spot until he’s healthy again — the Colts might have to dip back into a veteran pool of street free agents that includes players like former Chiefs and Browns star Kareem Hunt and former Jaguars star James Robinson, as well as veteran Kenyan Drake, who spent half of training camp with the Colts at Grand Park.
If Moss is ready to make his 2023 debut this week, though, Indianapolis might opt to ride with Moss and Jackson against Houston, calling up Funk again as insurance after he turned three late touches into 22 yards.
Either way, injuries have forced the Colts to make a call at the position, a call they’ll have to make in the next couple of days.
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