HC’s latest remarks prove Colts didn’t think Jonathan Taylor situation through

Whereas a gaggle effort method is good sentiment, there’s no proof that anybody on Indy’s energetic roster is definitely able to enterprise the workload of a beginning working again, not to mention serving because the catalyst for all the operation like Taylor did.

The present working again depth chart, which is Evan Hull, Deon Jackson and Zach Moss, has a mixed 382 carries, 1,549 yards and 11 touchdowns, of which Moss accounts for 75 % or extra of every class.

Moss did a stable job filling in for Taylor over the past 4 video games of the 2022 season, speeding for 334 yards and a landing on 69 carries, however the 25-year-old has solely began three video games in three seasons and he’s not wherever near being in Taylor’s league. 

Moreover, he missed all of coaching camp after struggling a damaged arm on the primary day of follow, and he’s behind the curve in studying Steichen’s new offensive system and constructing a rapport with rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson.

After averaging simply three yards per carry and speeding for 219 yards on 73 carries throughout the preseason, the balanced speeding assault Steichen used final 12 months with the Philadelphia Eagles, which noticed starter Miles Sanders get 47 % of the carries whereas backups Kenneth Gainwell and Boston Scott every hovered round 10 %, might not fly in Indy until the group provides a real bell-cow again.

The Colts introduced in skilled veterans — with precise beginning expertise — at varied factors all through the offseason together with Kareem Hunt and James Robinson, however they failed to achieve a cope with any of them.

The 28-year-old Hunt led the NFL in speeding as a rookie in 2017 (1,327 yards), however hasn’t been given a possibility to be a lead again at any level since. Hunt is a speedy again who catches a whole lot of passes out of the backfield and has a skillset that’s essentially the most much like Taylor of any participant on the open market proper now.

Robinson 25, ran for 1,070 yards as rookie with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2020, however he too, has been the sufferer of a scarcity of alternative ever since (he misplaced his beginning job to Travis Etienne final season earlier than being traded to the New York Jets).

Both can be serviceable band-aid starters till both Taylor returns or Indy trades for his alternative. Nonetheless, if the Colts start the 12 months with the RB depth chart as is, it proves two issues: They’re unbothered by the beating Richardson will possible take with no floor recreation, they usually didn’t suppose this whole state of affairs by when proprietor Jim Irsay advised mentioned that working backs ought to cease complaining about their salaries regardless of being the fourth-lowest paid position within the NFL.