Getty Zack Moss and Josh Allen celebrate a touchdown in a Buffalo Bills preseason game.
The clock was ticking down toward the approaching NFL trade deadline when Zack Moss got a call from the Buffalo Bills and learned he was being traded to the Indianapolis Colts.
Moss was part of a flurry of deadline deals across the league, with the Bills shipping him to Indianapolis in exchange for a versatile running back who is expected to add a spark to the passing game. Moss opened up on November 3 about his whirlwind trade deadline, which saw him whisked off to Indianapolis where he could be playing a significant role this week.
Bills Move Moss to Colts at the Buzzer
As a report from Colts.com noted, Moss was enjoying a day off from practice on November 1 and playing NBA 2K online with friends when he received a call from the Bills. There was just half an hour left until the deadline, and the Bills had finalized a deal to send him and a sixth-round pick to the Colts in exchange for running back Nyheim Hines.
The news was abrupt for Moss, and the next 14 hours were hectic.
“3:30 you get a call and then 5am you’re flying out to a whole different environment, different people and you’re trying to figure out what do you pack, how much do you pack and everything like that,” Moss said. “So it’s been hectic.”
Whirlwind: Zack Moss said he was playing NBA 2K with friends in Buffalo Tuesday afternoon when he got the call about the trade to Indy.
Had a flight Wednesday at 5AM and practicing today for the first time. @WISH_TV
Moss, a 2020 third-round pick from the Bills, said it was a new situation for him and his wife and he was grateful to the Colts for their support.
“It’s our first time ever being in this situation,” Moss said. “So we just try to lean on people that we know that’ve been through this situation and try to get some pointers and things like that. But the Colts have a great staff, they’ve done a great job helping us, me and my wife just try to get through this process pretty smoothly and try to get back to normal life.”
Big Opportunity for Moss
Though he was stuck behind Devin Singletary on the depth chart in Buffalo and in danger of falling behind rookie James Cook as well, Moss could have a big opportunity to contribute in Indianapolis. Colts running back James Taylor will miss Sunday’s game against the New England Patriots after aggravating a previous ankle injury, ESPN’s Stephen Holder reported.
The Colts are expected to start Deon Jackson at running back, with veteran Phillip Lindsay expected to be elevated from the practice squad. As Holder noted, Colts coach Frank Reich hasn’t said whether Moss would be a part of the game plan.
“Still to be determined, Reich said, is whether Zack Moss — who was sent to Indianapolis in the Hines trade — is up to speed and able to contribute for the Colts,” Holder reported.
If Moss is up to playing on Sunday, he could potentially see some of his most significant action of the season. He had gotten no more than six carries in any game for the Bills this year, rushing 17 total times for 91 yards — and most of it coming on one 43-yard run against the Miami Dolphins.