NFL clubs in need of help at the running back position can place their calls to Indianapolis.
The Colts and running back Marlon Mack have mutually agreed to seek a trade, as the fifth-year pro has become the odd man out in the club’s plans at the position, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported Tuesday.
After a fantastic rookie season in 2020, Jonathan Taylor has taken over as the starter, and per Pelissero, the contract extension of Nyheim Hines served as writing on the wall for Mack. Hines’ receiving skills and speed in the open field make him a nice complement to the more powerful Taylor.
Mack rushed for 1,091 yards and eight touchdowns in 2019 as the Colts’ primary rusher, but Taylor took over Mack’s starting role last year when Mack was lost for the season to a torn Achilles. He’s now healthy, but has been used sparingly through three games: Taylor has 41 carries thus far, Hines 16 and Mack only five.
The Colts re-signed Mack to a one-year, $2 million contract in March, but now will look to move him, and at a position that incurs more than its share of injuries, there should be no shortage of suitors. Teams that already have lost starting running backs include the Los Angeles Rams (Cam Akers) and Baltimore Ravens (J.K. Dobbins).
