The backup running back role behind Jonathan Taylor will be up for grabs this summer, but the Indianapolis Colts like the options that they have on the roster.
On the roster behind Taylor are Trey Sermon, Evan Hull, Tyler Goodson, and Zavier Scott. The Colts choosing not to add more competition to that room late in the draft shows the confidence that they have in this group.
“It was a solid year at the running back position,” said GM Chris Ballard about the draft class. “There wasn’t as much depth as usual at that position. But it is one that I think over time, between now and the season, and we like what we got.”
Over the years, the backup running back role has become increasingly important in the NFL as teams are mindful of the workload that they ask their top back to carry.
For the Colts, one of these aforementioned running backs will have to replace Zack Moss’ production with him now in Cincinnati. Last season, Moss totaled nearly 800 rushing yards at 4.3 yards per attempt while totaling another 192 receiving yards and scoring seven total touchdowns.
“We got some young guys that came in, and Trey (Sermon) did a really good job when he came in and played for us last year,” added Ballard. “So we got some guys on the roster that we like. We get (Evan) Hull back. Hull’s healthy, we get him back, so we get to see what he can do and he showed us some good signs last year.”
Sermon, in 2023, averaged 4.6 yards per rush on 35 attempts and had three receptions for 13 yards. Hull, a 2023 draft pick, would miss almost the entire season due to injury but came to the NFL with ample experience in the passing game.
Goodson would show some good burst in his limited playing time, averaging 6.7 yards per carry.
Colts’ offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter recently discussed how pairing Taylor with Anthony Richardson in the backfield will be a real stressor for opposing defenses, and that is an element they’ll still want to have even when Taylor isn’t in the game.
“To have Anthony and JT back there,” said Cooter, “JT has an extensive history with a lot of success, leading the league in rushing. Now we’ve got Anthony, where a defense, gosh, there may be that mesh on a run play and it’s JT going left and it’s Anthony going right, and as a defense, how do you defend that?
“You have two really explosive players that maybe have a chance to end up with the ball on a run play, how do you defend all that? It is exciting.”
While the Colts like what they have behind Taylor, there are some unknowns as well, given the overall inexperience. Combined between Sermon, Hull, and Goodson, the trio has 92 career carries, with Sermon having 78 of them. In the passing game, they have only 20 total targets.
