The Indianapolis Colts will reportedly be working out former USC running back Austin Jones on Monday, according to The Draft Network’s Justin Melo.
Works out are a weekly occurrence for the Colts and the rest of the NFL. It doesn’t always mean a signing is imminent; sometimes, teams are simply building out their in-season big board by checking in on players in case an addition needs to be made down the road.
Jones went undrafted this past April out of USC and spent some training cam and the preseason with Washington. In three preseason games, Jones totaled 37 rushing yards on 13 carries and caught two passes for 19 yards.
Listed at 5-10 – 200 pounds, Jones is an experienced collegiate back with nearly 500 rushing attempts. He finished his college career with 2,329 yards on the ground and 24 rushing touchdowns.
Jones was also fairly active in the passing game, with 106 receptions over five seasons, averaging 8.5 yards per catch with three scores.
During his final year at USC. Jones averaged 5.5 yards per rush on 84 attempts with seven touchdowns and another 117 yards on 14 receptions.
Without Jonathan Taylor these last few weeks, the Colts have been a bit thin at the running back position.
On the 53-man roster, along with Taylor, are Trey Sermon, Tyler Goodson, and Evan Hull. The team announced that they released Trent Pennix on Monday, leaving Salvon Ahmed as the only back on the practice squad.
The corresponding move was signing kicker Spencer Shrader, so the practice squad is currently at full capacity.
(This post was updated because an earlier version included an inaccuracy.)