Getty Indianapolis Colts running backs Jonathan Taylor and Nyheim Hines are both expected to make big impacts during the 2022 season.
The Indianapolis Colts possess arguably the best running back in the NFL. Jonathan Taylor led the league with 1,811 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns last season, and he’s still only 23 years old.
With that type of talent in the backfield, it’s tempting to get the ball into his hands on nearly every play. But that’s not how Colts head coach Frank Reich reportedly sees it.
NFL reporter Jeremy Fowler recently visited Colts training camp at Grand Park Sports Campus. Fowler reported the “feeling” around Indianapolis is Taylor will actually get fewer rushing attempts than last season in an effort to deploy both Taylor and backup running back Nyheim Hines.
“Many others at Colts camp agree, and coach Frank Reich said his goal is to keep teams ‘off balance’ with Taylor and Hines playing off each other,” Fowler wrote. “Taylor still garners a massive workload, but there’s a feeling here that he won’t get 332 carries again — in part because the Colts won’t need it, having enough versatility to keep Taylor fresh.”
Last season, Taylor had 372 touches versus Hines’ 96.
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Hines’ Involvement in the Colts Passing Game
Involving Hines as a pass catcher isn’t a new concept. He posted 63 catches for 482 yards in 2020, which is a better receiving stat line than any wideout on the Colts roster not named Michael Pittman Jr. has produced.
But that came with Philip Rivers as quarterback. Hines’ other strong season as a pass catcher came in 2018 during the comeback player of the year campaign for Andrew Luck.
With Carson Wentz or any other signal caller, Hines hasn’t been as involved in the passing attack. He posted 40 catches for 310 yards last year.
The arrival of Ryan, though, means Hines has a strong chance of repeating his 2020 numbers and maybe even surpassing them.
“The first thing that stood out during my Colts visit was that running back Nyheim Hines will catch a lot of passes in a Matt Ryan-led offense,” Fowler wrote. “He was getting the ball a ton in red zone work, and Ryan is highly skilled at working the screen-pass game.”
Even before training camp, Reich and Colts general manager Chris Ballard told the media about the team’s goal to throw more passes to Hines this season. Ballard again emphasized that to Fowler.
“We have to get him involved,” Ballard said. “He’s a weapon and a playmaker.”
Taylor & Hines on the Field Together
The biggest negative about getting Hines involved is that means bringing Taylor off the field. Or does it?
Fowler reported that the Colts were “unafraid to play” Hines and Taylor on the field at the same time during the practices he saw early in training camp.
Hines’ ability to line up anywhere on the field makes this possible. The Colts can deploy him out wide or in the slot in addition to the backfield. Hines could be Indianapolis’ Swiss-army knife as Cordarrelle Patterson was for the Atlanta Falcons last year.
With Ryan behind center, Patterson posted career-bests of 618 rushing yards, 548 receiving yards and 11 total touchdowns last year. His 205 touches were more than twice as many as his previous career high (85).
Hines’ career-high 152 touches came in 2020. It wouldn’t be shocking if he passed that total this fall.