Jonathan Taylor has been at every practice so far this offseason, but with being listed on the PUP and talks of trades, his return is in deep question. To add more questions to this RB room, Zack Moss broke his forearm during Monday’s practice and is expected to be out although training camp and preseason. With the top two running backs currently out, who else is there to pick up the slack and are the Colts going to sign an additional player?

Let’s first look at who is currently on the roster that could potentially make an impact and then who is currently available in free agency.

On the Roster – Evan Hull #26

Evan Hull is a rookie from Northwestern University and in 2022, he had 913 rushing yards and 546 receiving yards which was a career high. He is also only the 16th player since 2000 to average over 75 rushing yards and 45 receiving yards a game over an entire season. This was most recently done by Travis Etienne and Saquon Barkley, who are two very high production running backs in the league today. Further accomplishments for Hull include leading all FBS running backs with 54 receptions and being second amongst all Big Ten receivers with 483 yards after the catch.

Needless to say, Hull is coming into the NFL with a full head of steam and an opportunity to make a name for himself both in running, catching out of the backfield, and on special teams. In his interview with the media on Monday, Hull mentioned that he has watched a lot of Jonathan Taylor and studied how he plays the game. This is not to say that Hull can replace the void of Taylor (if it comes down to that), but it is encouraging to hear that he is striving to be one of the best by learning from one of the best.

On the Roster – Deon Jackson #35

Deon Jackson is going into year three with the Colts and is coming off a season in which he received some extended playing time due to injuries to Jonathan Taylor and Nyheim Hines. In 11 games of playing time, Jackson reached 236 yards rushing and 209 yards receiving. He also had 2 total TDs and one fumble.

These numbers are certainly minimal and typical for a third-string running back, but Jackson’s productivity in games was most evident in his ability to catch out of the backfield. In times when he did get the ball, Jackson racked up 30 receptions for a modest 7-yard average, but the interesting stat is his yards created per touch (3.31) which ranked 7th among RBs. The meaning of yards created per touch is in its name. It’s the yards that a running back creates on his own without the aid of offensive linemen.

So, both Hull and Jackson appear to be very catch-savvy RBs. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but it can pose a problem if the Colts cannot maintain decent rushing yards per attempt. It will remain to be seen how these two backs develop strictly in the run game.

In light of the skepticism in productivity to run the football, OC Jim Bob Cooter stated high praise for both of these running backs, mentioning that they have had a “strong start to camp”. He praised Hull’s development as a rookie in this league and also praised Jackson’s ability to hit home runs when carrying the ball.

On the Roster – Zavier Scott #2

A player who is not getting talked about at all is rookie undrafted free agent, Zavier Scott. He comes from the University of Maine where he played primarily wide receiver while also taking several snaps at running back. In the 2022 season, Scott racked up 371 rushing yards, 434 receiving yards, and also posted 93 kick return yards.

It is safe to say that Scott is a very versatile running back who could provide some security where depth is concerned at RB or even WR. However, with Jackson, Hull, and Moss expected to be back by week 1, it might be a stretch to see Scott make the 53-man roster. That being said, depending on what the Colts do with Jonathan Taylor and if the Colts don’t decide to sign a veteran RB, it could be Scott’s time to shine and make the most out of this opportunity.

Adding Depth at RB

Evan Hull, Deon Jackson, and Zavier Scott will be very exciting and intriguing players to watch during camp and preseason, but a big question that still looms is veteran presence and depth at running back. The Colts will most definitely look to sign an additional RB and probably a veteran to help develop and lead these young backs.

On August 2nd, the Colts worked out former Ravens RB Kenyan Drake, former Steelers RB Benny Snell, and former Denver Broncos RB Devine Ozigbo. Both Drake and Snell have extensive playing time in the NFL and both are unrestricted free agents.

Some notable names that are also currently available include: Dalvin Cook, Kareem Hunt, Ezekiel Elliott, Leonard Fournette, and former Colt Marlon Mack.

Whatever the Colts decide on free agency will probably be done soon and the Jonathan Taylor situation needs time to breathe before even going into a final decision.