Colts lose RB Zack Moss to Bengals starting opportunity

INDIANAPOLIS — When the Colts picked up Zack Moss in a trade at the deadline two seasons ago, the former Bills running back was not the headliner.

Moss, a former third-round pick, had fallen out of favor in Buffalo, enough that he was shipped to Indianapolis along with a late-round pick so the Bills could snap up former Colts running back Nyheim Hines, who wanted out of Indianapolis.

What Moss needed was an opportunity, and when Jonathan Taylor was hit had by injuries over the past two seasons, Moss made the most of it.

Moss rushed for 1,159 yards and six touchdowns over two seasons as Taylor’s primary backup in Indianapolis, proving he belongs in the NFL to the point that the Cincinnati Bengals gave him a two-year, $8 million deal that includes $4.525 million in the first year, a league source confirmed to IndyStar on Monday night.

Then the Bengals reportedly released long-time starting running back Joe Mixon, paving the way for Moss to take over as the team’s workhorse back, pending the results of the NFL Draft in April.

Moss was always unlikely to return to Indianapolis.

As good as the Colts situation ended up being for Moss, Indianapolis signed Taylor to a three-year, $42 million extension last October, and when Taylor was healthy, it was clear the Colts intended to give their superstar the lion’s share of the carries.

That limited the value of the contract Moss could get from Indianapolis in return.

And at any rate, Moss has reason to believe he can be a starting back in the NFL, an opportunity he was not going to get in Indianapolis. Instead, Moss heads down the highway to Cincinnati, where he’ll have a chance to compete for the starting job in an offense that gave Mixon more than 200 carries in each of the last three seasons.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Colts lose RB Zack Moss to Bengals starting opportunity