Colts release RB Deon Jackson after ugly start to season
INDIANAPOLIS — The Colts made a significant change to their running back room Saturday, hours before flying to Baltimore for Sunday’s showdown with the Ravens.
Indianapolis released third-year running back Deon Jackson, the starter in the season opener due to injuries, and promoted another third-year back, Trey Sermon, from the practice squad after only a week of practices.
Sermon likely now becomes the team’s top backup to veteran Zack Moss, who rushed for 88 yards on 18 carries against Houston in the first game of the season.
Indianapolis has long liked Jackson, identifying him as a priority free agent during the 2021 NFL draft and then sealing up his services with a $45,000 guarantee. The move paid off for the first two years; Jackson spent half the season on the roster as a special teamer as a rookie, then produced 236 rushing yards and 209 receiving yards in the Colts’ disastrous 2022 season.
Because of that history, the Colts were willing to ride with Jackson as their starting running back in the 2023 season opener against Jacksonville, given that Moss was still on his way back from a broken arm and superstar Jonathan Taylor remained on the reserve/PUP list with an ankle injury.
Jackson had one of the ugliest games of his career, picking up just 14 yards on 13 carries, catching five passes for a mere 14 yards, fumbling twice and dropping a throw from Anthony Richardson.
When Moss returned to the lineup last week, the Colts didn’t play Jackson on offense at all and gave him just one snap on special teams.
Sermon, for his part, has more history with Indianapolis coach Shane Steichen. A third-round pick by San Francisco out of Ohio State in 2021, Sermon rushed for 167 yards as a rookie, then spent most of the 2022 season on Philadelphia’s practice squad, where Steichen was the coordinator.
“We always just want to add depth,” Steichen said of the signing earlier this week.
But Sermon ended up being more than depth, although the Colts can bring Jackson back to the practice squad next week if he clears waivers. With Sermon on the roster, the depth chart is now Moss as the starter — he played 52 of 53 Indianapolis offensive snaps last week — Sermon as the primary backup and special teamer Jake Funk in the No. 3 role.
Indianapolis made two more moves on Saturday in advance of Sunday’s game, promoting guard Ike Boettger to the active roster with center Ryan Kelly out and left guard Quenton Nelson battling a toe injury, and adding wide receiver Juwann Winfree for the third time, offering some depth behind Michael Pittman Jr. and Alec Pierce on the outside.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Colts release RB Deon Jackson after ugly start to season
