The Indianapolis Colts are not one of the glamour teams in the AFC. While they have hope of competing for a playoff spot or possibly the AFC South division title, head coach Shane Steichen knows they have multiple areas of concern heading into the 2025 season.
The biggest issue is at quarterback where former first-round draft choice Anthony Richardson and ex-New York Giant Daniel Jones are battling for QB1 position. Jones may have the lead in that battle as Richardson tries to overcome a lack of accuracy and a dislocated little finger on his throwing hand.
No matter who wins the starting job, the Colts are going to need a dynamic and productive running game. They have a very solid running back in starter Jonathan Taylor, who gained 1,431 yards last year while averaging 4.7 yards per carry and scoring 11 touchdowns. However, Taylor can't do it all on his own, especially if the passing attack is questionable. The Colts brought in free agent running back Salvon Ahmed to take some of the burden off of Taylor.
That's not going to happen this season. Ahmed suffered an injury last Sunday in a team drill when he was brought down by a hip-drop tackle, and he left the field in screaming agony as a result of the hit by rookie Trey Washington. It was revealed Friday that the injury will knock Ahmed out for the season, per ESPN's Stephen Holder and Adam Schefter.
Ahmed was in a battle to win a spot on the Colts roster
The injured running back was hoping that his past experience with the Miami Dolphins would have put him in a strong position to earn a spot on the Indianapolis roster.
Ahmed had been with the Dolphins for each of the past four seasons. He ran for 319 yards and 3 touchdowns as a rookie in 2020, and that was his most productive season.
He has played in 38 games during his career, rushing for 593 yards and averaging 4.5 yards per carry with a long run of 31 yards.
Tyler Goodson is listed as the No. 2 running back on the Colts' depth chart with D.J. Giddens as the No. 3 back.
Steichen said the Colts were trying to have players compete during the drill.
“We don’t encourage hip-drop tackles,” Steichen said, per James Boyd of The Athletic. “We know Trey is down in the dumps, and I don’t think he was trying to do that. We’re just trying to create an edge … especially in the developmental (periods). Those guys are gonna have to tackle come preseason. So, our thoughts and prayers are with Salvon, and we wish him a speedy recovery.”
