The Buffalo Bills, like every team in the AFC East aside from the New England Patriots, took to the trade market to add to their team on Tuesday afternoon prior to the NFL's trade deadline. They didn't make a blockbuster move like the Miami Dolphins, but they added a key offensive piece in Nyheim Hines from a trade with the Indianapolis Colts.
The Bills picked up Hines from Indy in return for Zack Moss and a conditional 2023 sixth-round pick that can become a fifth-round pick depending on how Hines performs with his new team. Given how the Colts offense is completely falling apart right now, it's not surprising to see them move on from their pass catching back in Hines.
As the Colts gear up for a potential rebuild, the Bills only continue to get stronger, and Hines seems like a seamless fit in their offense. Let's hand out grades for this trade and see whether Buffalo or Indianapolis will come out on top in this deal as the season progresses.
Buffalo Bills grade: A-
The Bills have long been looking to add a pass-catching running back to their ranks, and they finally got their guy in Hines. Hines' involvement in the run game with the Colts became virtually nonexistent now that Jonathan Taylor looms as one of the top running backs in the game, but he remained a valuable asset thanks to his pass-catching abilities out of the backfield.
Buffalo's running back room has been pretty messy this season, with Devin Singletary and James Cook leading the way, and Moss sitting on the bench as the third option. Singletary should be getting the majority of the carries, but for whatever reason the Bills don't seem interested in giving him a full workload. Maybe that changes with Hines handling pass catching duties, but it doesn't seem likely.
Regardless of how the Bills intend on using Hines, this deal is a major win for an offense that is already extremely deadly. Giving Josh Allen a reliable checkdown option in the running back room in Hines is huge, and that's not to mention Hines can be used as a weapon in the passing game. If he gets motioned out of the backfield and has a linebacker follow him, he's going to win his route nine times out of ten.
Giving up Moss isn't a huge loss considering he's fallen out of favor in the backfield, and Buffalo would gladly see that conditional sixth-round pick become a fifth-rounder, as it means Hines will be doing what the team wants him to. Even if it becomes a fifth-rounder, that's not a steep price to pay for a guy who could end up being the final piece to Buffalo's offense.
There's a chance Moss could have developed into a starting caliber running back, but he wasn't going to be given the chance to do so with the Bills. Buffalo upgraded their team for this season by acquiring Nyheim Hines, and there's no reason to believe that this deal won't end up working out for them throughout the remainder of the current campaign.
Indianapolis Colts grade: B
The Colts thought they were making their offense better this offseason by trading for Matt Ryan and sending Carson Wentz to the Washington Commanders. Instead, Ryan is already on the bench, and the Colts running game has completely crumbled. That resulted in Hines now getting a lot of play time, and he quickly became expendable for Indianapolis as they wade their way through a lost season.
Indianapolis knew that Hines was more useful for Buffalo than he was for them at this point, and they flipped him to the Bills for a young running back and a Day 3 draft pick, which isn't a bad haul for a pass catching running back who hasn't been overly productive this season.
The draft pick helps, obviously, but Moss has the potential to make this deal a win for Indianapolis. He won't get a ton of playing time with Taylor leading the way, but if he shows he can help another team out, he could be flipped for something down the line as well. Moss has actually been pretty good on a per carry basis this season, so maybe there's a chance he become a reliable secondary option behind Taylor throughout the rest of the season.
The Colts are likely looking to rebuild their roster a bit right now, as they desperately need to invest in a quarterback. The pick they acquired for Nyheim Hines isn't going to get them their next great quarterback, but it will help them build their team around whoever that guy is, and that's all you can ask for in trades like this.
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