With Trey Sermon sidelined with a hamstring injury during Wednesday’s joint practice with the Arizona Cardinals, it was Evan Hull who took the bulk of the Colts’ backup running back reps, according to Kevin Bowen of 107.5 The Fan.
In Bowen’s training camp notebook, he would mention that Hull saw “extended” work with the second-team offense.
Sermon would leave Sunday’s preseason opener against Denver with a hamstring injury. Following Wednesday’s practice, Shane Steichen didn’t have an update on when Sermon could return.
Before the injury, Sermon had pretty well established himself as the Colts’ backup running back, taking the lion’s share of the second-team reps during training camp and even seeing some opportunities with the ones when Jonathan Taylor needed a breather.
However, the battle for the third running back role hasn’t had the same kind of clarity. Against Denver, when Sermon exited the game, it was Tyler Goodson who was off the bench before Hull.
Hull, a 2023 fifth-round pick, had his rookie season cut short due to a knee injury he sustained in Week 1.
He comes to the NFL with extensive work in the passing game, totaling 110 targets over his final two seasons at Northwestern and averaging 9.0 yards per catch. Hull would even lead all running backs in receiving yards during the 2022 college season.
We saw that playmaking in the passing game on display against Denver, with Hull’s one reception going for 15 yards on a fourth-down play.
However, while Hull brings that pass-catching element to the Colts’ backfield, he can handle the workload as a ball carrier as well. He would carry the ball over 500 times during his final two college seasons, while last August, Hull handled some RB1 responsibilities with both Taylor and Zack Moss navigating injuries.