The Colts made it pretty clear that they were focused on the future when they replaced Matt Ryan with second-year QB Sam Ehlinger. It didn’t take long for rival squads to start sniffing around at some of Indy’s available players. One player that’s drawn interest is Nyheim Hines, with ESPN’s Adam Schefter reporting (on Twitter) that teams have inquired about the offensive weapon’s availability.
Hines has had a consistent role on the Colts offense since entering the league as a fourth-round pick in 2018. The running back topped 500 yards from scrimmage in each of his first four NFL seasons, including a 2020 campaign where he finished with 862 offensive yards and seven touchdowns. In seven games this season, Hines has collected 224 yards from scrimmage and one touchdown, and he’s returned 11 punts for 111 yards.
Jonathan Taylor‘s emergence over the past two years meant Hines was eyeing a future backup role with the organization. He still inked a three-year, $18MM extension with the Colts last September, and the team has managed to keep him active in the passing game and on special teams.
The Colts could be inclined to move on from the 25-year-old thanks to the recent emergence of Deon Jackson. The 2021 UDFA out of Duke proved to be more-than-capable when he had a significant role with Taylor and Hines sidelined. In Week 5 and Week 6, Jackson collected 104 rushing yards on 25 carries, and he added another 108 receiving yards on 14 receptions. On the flip side, if the Colts are worried that Taylor’s struggles this season aren’t an anomaly, they may want to keep as much RB depth as possible.
Inquiring teams could be eyeing Hines as a third-down RB and/or a ST option. Doug Kyed of Pro Football Focus tweets that Hines has drawn trade interest in the past, although he cautions that there are “more running backs available than teams that need running backs.”