The Indianapolis Colts running back room was ranked the second-best in the NFL by Pro Football Focus heading into the 2021 season.
“The Colts are another team that has impressive depth at running back after bringing back Marlon Mack on a cheap, one-year deal. Mack has multiple 1,000-yard seasons under his belt for Indianapolis at 25 years old, but he should be the third option in 2021 behind Jonathan Taylor and Nyheim Hines, both of whom graded as top-10 running backs in the NFL in 2020.
Taylor was one of the best runners in the league down the stretch last year. His 461 rushing yards after contact from Week 10 through the end of the regular season ranked third in the NFL behind only Derrick Henry and Nick Chubb.”
The backfield for the Colts came in second only behind the Cleveland Browns, who sport both Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt. Talent-wise, it’s hard to argue against that duo being the best in the league.
But with the ascending Jonathan Taylor leading the way, the future is bright for the backfield. Taylor led all rookies in rushing yards (1,150) and was tied for the rookie lead in rushing touchdowns (11) during the 2020 season. He also averaged an incredible 5.0 yards-per-carry average.
The room goes beyond Taylor, though. Complementary back Nyheim Hines is a swiss-army knife. He showed improvement between the tackles in 2020 but is electric in the open field whether he’s catching passes or taking outside runs. His contribution as a punt returner on special teams only boosts his value.
Then the Colts re-signed Marlon Mack to a one-year deal this offseason. He’s coming off of a torn Achilles that ended his 2020 season after just one half of football, and there are questions as to what kind of player he will be following that injury—one that is a massive concern for running backs.
Jordan Wilkins rounds out the group and has been efficient in spurts throughout his career.
Behind this elite offensive line, the Colts run game will thrive yet again. Once Eric Fisher comes back from his Achilles rehab, the Colts should be able to lean on the run as much as they want to in 2021.