Colts’ 2022 training camp preview: Running backs
The Indianapolis Colts will be entering training camp later this month boasting one of the best backfields in the entire NFL.
Having the league’s rushing champion from the previous season will help that narrative, but there also are plenty of diverse skill sets on the depth chart. Even though the top spots in the room are locked in, there will be an exciting battle for the one or two spots behind them throughout training camp and the preseason.
Be sure to check out the other position previews ahead of training camp:
With training camp set to arrive July 26, here’s our preview of the running back position:
Jonathan Taylor
AP Photo/Darron Cummings
Taylor is gunning for the rushing crown for the second year in a row after leading the NFL with 1,811 rushing yards and 20 total touchdowns in 2021. We should expect regression in the touchdown column, but Taylor is arguably the league’s best running back.
Nyheim Hines
AP Photo/Adrian Kraus
After his lack of usage during the 2021 season, the Colts have vowed to keep Hines more involved moving forward. Much of that has been true throughout the spring workouts, and we should expect Hines to see numbers closer to 2018 and 2020.
What will be interesting with Hines is how much the Colts use him as a receiver. Not just out of the backfield but lined up in the slot or out wide. There’s a chance the Colts use him as a mismatch while splitting out more during the 2022 season.
Phillip Lindsay
AP Photo/Mike Roemer
Lindsay signed with the Colts on a one-year deal following the 2022 NFL draft and is likely to be the leader for the third running back spot entering training camp.
Lindsay’s production early in his career gives him a boost over the other players in the room but if he’s going to hold onto that No. 3 spot, he’ll likely have to contribute more on special teams.
Deon Jackson
AP Photo/AJ Mast
Jackson was the reason Marlon Mack was a healthy scratch for the majority of the second half of the 2021 season. Jackson’s role was spent mostly on special teams and while the arrival of Lindsay does provide stiff competition, Jackson still has an intriguing skill set that could prove worthy of a roster spot—even if he is among the players currently on the roster bubble.
Ty'Son Williams
Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Williams joined the Colts roster shortly after they signed Lindsay. Despite showing promise during the early part of the 2021 season with the Baltimore Ravens, Williams was benched in favor of players like Devonta Freeman and Latavius Murray.
Williams brings an interesting element to the backfield given his size and speed combination. He shouldn’t be overlooked for the final spot in the backfield when the competitions get underway, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if he’s a standout during the preseason.
D'vonte Price
AP Photo/Darron Cummings
Price is an extremely intriguing undrafted rookie. At 6-foot-1 and 210 pounds, Price ran a 4.38 in the 40-yard dash. Though he entered the draft as an older prospect, he’s got plenty of juice to add to the backfield and could be an intriguing project to work with on the practice squad.
C.J. Verdell
AP Photo/Michael Conroy
Rounding out the backfield is Verdell, who comes to the NFL from Oregon. Verdell was on the path of being a mid-to-late-round pick in the 2022 NFL draft before suffering a fractured fibula and dislocated ankle during his senior season. It may be unlikely that Verdell makes the roster, but it wouldn’t be a surprise if the Colts kept him around on the practice squad to see how he develops.
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