Each of the ESPN NFL team reporters picked one player that may have surprised their coaches and teammates with their performance during minicamp. For the Colts, Stephen Holder selected running back Trey Sermon.
The competition for the backup running back role behind Jonathan Taylor will be one of the more intriguing battles to take place during training camp for the Colts.
Competing for those snaps will be Sermon, along with Evan Hull and Tyler Goodson. However, at this moment, it sounds like Sermon is the front-runner.
“For now,” wrote Holder, “the likeliest option appears to be Sermon, whose hard-running style has earned him first crack at the job.”
Overall, this is a fairly inexperienced trio behind Taylor. Combined, Sermon, Hull, and Goodson have 92 career carries – with Sermon having 78 of them – and just 20 total targets.
But someone, whether it be Sermon or a combination of this group, will have to help fill the void left behind by Zack Moss, who is now in Cincinnati. Filling in at times for an injured Taylor, Moss recorded nearly 800 rushing yards, 192 receiving yards, and seven total scores.
Last season, in his first with the Colts, Sermon carried the ball 35 times, averaging 4.6 yards per attempt. He would also catch three passes for 13 yards.
The Colts could have added to the backfield this offseason to cultivate additional competition for this role, but GM Chris Ballard liked the group that they already had on the roster.
“We got some young guys that came in, and Trey (Sermon) did a really good job when he came in and played for us last year,” said Ballard. “So we got some guys on the roster that we like. We get (Evan) Hull back. Hull’s healthy, we get him back, so we get to see what he can do and he showed us some good signs last year.”
A strong run game can be a young quarterback’s best friend, helping to keep the offense ahead of the sticks and out of predictable passing situations while also setting up play-action opportunities.
The combination of Taylor and Anthony Richardson in the backfield will form a dynamic duo that can really stress defenses, particularly off RPOs in Shane Steichen’s offense. Having as little of a dropoff as possible between Taylor and his backup will be important for the overall success of the Colts’ offense, as the role of the backup running back continues to increase across the NFL.
“To have Anthony and JT back there,” said offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter, “JT has an extensive history with a lot of success, leading the league in rushing. Now we’ve got Anthony, where a defense, gosh, there may be that mesh on a run play and it’s JT going left and it’s Anthony going right, and as a defense, how do you defend that?
“You have two really explosive players that maybe have a chance to end up with the ball on a run play, how do you defend all that? It is exciting.”