The Indianapolis Colts have indicated that they will look to feature a committee in their backfield moving forward. Regardless, it appears running back Marlon Mack will still be featured as the lead option.
The Colts are hoping to boast a more balanced approach on offense in the 2019 NFL season. According to Charean Williams of Pro Football Talk, head coach Frank Reich says they rely on Mack as the top option in the backfield.
“I think at this point going into it, it’s still by-committee, but Marlon’s a little bit more the featured guy,” Reich said. “I mean, you saw that, when he’s healthy. Nyheim [Hines] and Jordan [Wilkins] are still going to get their plays and take some of the load off, but I thought the way we ran it when Marlon was in last year was, hey, it’s by-committee, but with emphasis on Marlon being the No. 1 guy.”
Reich's comments should hardly come as any surprise. Mack enjoyed a breakout season after finishing the 2018 campaign with 908 yards and nine touchdowns on 195 carries. He also managed to tack on 17 receptions for 103 yards and a touchdown.
Running backs Nyheim Hines and Jordan Wilkins largely filled complementary roles in the offense. Hines established himself as their go-to pass-catcher out of the backfield with 63 receptions for 425 yards and two touchdowns. Meanwhile, the Colts relied on Wilkins' stout frame in short-yardage situations.
Mack's emergence came just at the right time for Indianapolis as their pass-heavy approach became easier to defend later in the season. Fortunately, he was able to show plenty of promise during his time as the workhorse. Despite his clear potential, the Colts are seemingly trying to avoid having him deal with too much wear and tear and will try to keep him as healthy as possible moving forward.
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