Tag: Evan Hull

Tough decisions at RB but Colts’ Tyler Goodson separates with ‘well-rounded’ skill set

Colts’ GM Chris Ballard said there were tough decisions at RB but Tyler Goodson separated himself from Evan Hull with a more “well-rounded” skill set.

Leading the way at running back for the Colts will be Jonathan Taylor, but general manager Chris Ballard likes what he saw from the trio of running backs behind Taylor this summer.

“Like the group,” said Ballard on Wednesday. “It was a really tough decision between–especially with Sermon getting hurt. But we really liked what Sermon was doing last year and in the offseason, and that includes we like some of the things Goodson did.”

Sermon carried the ball 35 times last season for the Colts, averaging 4.6 yards per attempt. With the backup role up for grabs, Sermon came into the offseason the favorite for that job and solidified himself as the backup option rather quickly, bringing an added hard-nosed running style to the backfield.

The attention at the position then turned to the third-string running back spot on the depth chart–a competition between Tyler Goodson and Evan Hull. Ultimately after seeing how training camp and the preseason unfolded, the Colts chose to roster Goodson because of his more well-rounded skill-set at this time.

“We still like Hull,” added Ballard. “At the end of the day, Goodson just did a little bit more–a little more well-rounded right now. But look, Hull’s still going to be definitely in the mix with us.”

Both Goodson and Hull add a pass-catching element to the Colts’ running back room, however, where Goodson was able to separate himself in the preseason games was as a ball carrier.

Goodson flashed a bit more juice with the ball in his hands, averaging 4.1 yards per carry over the preseason, including averaging 5.1 yards per attempt on his final 19 carries during the final two games.

Hull averaged 3.4 yards per rush in the preseason and outside of a 14 yard run against Arizona, didn’t find the same steady success that Goodson did. After being released, Hull was signed back to the Colts’ practice squad.

Taylor will, of course, handle the bulk of the carries at the position, but in general, the run game is going to be very important for the Colts’ success on offense this season.

For one, the combination of Taylor and Anthony Richardson in the backfield together will create a massive challenge for opposing defenses. But on top of that, a strong run game can be a quarterback’s best friend, keeping the offense ahead of the sticks and out of predictable passing situations.

“I think it’s a good, well-rounded group,” said Ballard. “And I think we’ve got a–Jonathan, who I think’s a superstar.”

Colts waive second-year running back Evan Hull during roster cuts

The Colts are reportedly waiving second-year running back Evan Hull in the midst of roster cuts.

In a surprise, the Colts are waiving second-year running back Evan Hull in the midst of roster cuts, according to Tom Pelissero.

The backup running back competition was one of the more intriguing competitions this summer–but it never truly turned into a battle, with Trey Sermon securing that role quickly and not letting go.

Then the question at this position became: Tyler Goodson or Evan Hull for the third running back role on the depth chart?

After a bit of a slow start to camp, both players had strong performances down the stretch, particularly in the preseason. It was even seen in many roster predictions from beat writers that the Colts could keep four running backs, especially with the uncertainty at that time around Sermon’s status with a hamstring injury.

Both Goodson and Hull bring a pass-catching element to the backfield, however, you could see just a bit more burst from Goodson as a ball carrier and, as Nate Atkins of the Indy Star noted, he had the more consistent overall training camp performance.

On 21 carries this preseason, Hull averaged 3.4 yards per rush with a score and had three receptions for 17 yards. Goodson, meanwhile, averaged 4.1 yards per carry with two scores and had 11 receptions on 4 catches.

Hull will go on waivers and if unclaimed, he will become a free agent and able to sign where he chooses.

Evan Hull takes bulk of Colts’ backup RB snaps with Trey Sermon out on Wednesday

With Trey Sermon still out with an injury, it was Evan Hull who took the bulk of backup RB snaps in the Colts’ first joint practice with Arizona.

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.

Colts’ RB Evan Hull has a ‘couple of big runs’ during Wednesday’s practice

During Wednesday’s training camp practice, Colts’ RB Evan Hull showcases his playmaking potential with a “couple of big runs.”

Colts’ second year running back is coming off an impressive practice on Wednesday that has his stock “on the rise,” as Horseshoe Huddle’s Jake Arthur put it in his post-practice recap.

Arthur noted that on Wednesday, Hull made a “couple of big runs” that were much celebrated by his offensive teammates, including Anthony Richardson, who went “yelling and running down the field after him.”

Hull would miss just about all of his rookie year after suffering a season-ending knee injury in Week 1.

He is currently competing for the backup running back role behind Jonathan Taylor–although early signs, according to James Boyd of The Athletic, point to Trey Sermon having a firm grasp on that competition.

However, even if Hull doesn’t end up as the second running back, there still could be an opportunity for him to carve out a niche role in the offense because of his ability to impact the passing game.

Hull, a 2023 fifth-round pick by the Colts, came to the NFL with ample experience as a pass-catcher and pass-blocker.

Over his final two years at Northwestern, Hull was targeted 108 times, catching 80 percent of those passes while averaging an impressive 9.0 yards per catch with four touchdowns. In fact, in 2023 specifically, he led all running backs in receiving yards.

Now, don’t be mistaken, Taylor will, of course, be the featured back, and if Sermon ends up as the backup, he’ll see his share of playing time as well. So it’s not as if there will be a ton of snaps left over for Hull.

But on third downs, or other obvious passing situations, or if the game-plan calls for a more heavy running back presence in the passing game, there could be the opportunity for him to see the field.

In the grand scheme of training camp, we are still very early on in the process, and ultimately how Hull performs in the joint practices and preseason games will carry a lot of weight in how the coaching staff evaluates where he’s at.

Realistically, after missing his rookie season with an injury, there are still going to be some growing pains as a relatively inexperienced player, but he’s showcasing the playmaking potential he brings with the ball in his hands.

The next step for Hull, like any young player, will be continuing to bring that consistency each day and get incrementally better with each practice.

RB Evan Hull is PFF’s Colts player to watch during training camp

Pro Football Focus picked running back Evan Hull as the one Colts’ player to watch as training camp unfolds.

With NFL training camps beginning this week, Pro Football Focus selected one player from each team to watch as the next month-plus unfolds. For the Colts, they chose running back Evan Hull.

With Zack Moss now in Cincinnati, the backup running back role behind Jonathan Taylor will be one of the more intriguing positional battles for the Colts this summer.

PFF notes that with Taylor not playing more than 766 snaps in any of his four NFL seasons, the second running back should see his share of playing time this season.

“Those guys, there’s some great opportunities ahead of those guys to get carries, to get playing time, to earn that game action,” offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter said.

“We think we know those guys pretty well, but it’s our second year going here and different guys arrived at different times last year, so we’re kind of excited to get a full camp with these guys and find out more about them and obviously complement JT, who’s going to be so huge for us this year.”

Hull was a fifth-round pick by the Colts in 2023. PFF mentions in the article that Hull had two “solid” preseason performances with rushing grades of 67.0 or higher with the team relying on him heavily during training camp with Taylor on PUP at that time and Moss injured.

Unfortunately, Hull’s rookie season was cut short, after he sustained a season-ending knee injury in Week 1.

“It was a root tear, so it was a little different than your typical tear in the body, which would be more of a 6-8-week type of thing that we see typically,” Hull said via The Athletic. “So, that was an entirely different process because they needed to basically repair the meniscus and put it back to its root, so you need to stay off (your knee) a lot longer.”

During his career at Northwestern, Hull averaged 5.0 yards per carry with 18 rushing touchdowns. He was a huge factor in the Wildcats’ passing game his final two seasons, totaling 110 targets, while averaging an impressive 9.0 yards per reception.

Hull will be competing with Trey Sermon, who according to ESPN’s Stephen Holder, was a standout player during minicamp, along with Tyler Goodson.

With Hull’s ability to impact the passing game and his experience in pass protection, he will have the opportunity to carve out a role as a third down back or seeing the field during obvious passing situations.

Being in Shane Steichen’s system for a second season will be a key part of Hull’s development, although there still may be a learning curve he’ll have to navigate after missing valuable practice time as a rookie.

However, with that said, Hull was able to make a quick impact on offense last summer.

“We saw quite a bit of him at Northwestern do some certain things and we’ve put him in a few positions here that maybe we didn’t see quite as much on his college tape,” said Cooter last August. “I would say he’s pleasantly surprised us.

“… Typically rookie running backs sort of struggle the most in protection because in college football you just don’t see a lot of that. You don’t see them pick up a lot of blitzes – they don’t have to. So, for him to come in and really do more or less a really nice job in protection. He’s been a bright spot at this point sort of in training camp and in the preseason.”

Colts’ training camp preview: RB Evan Hull

Next up in our Colts’ training camp preview is RB Evan Hull. Here is a look ahead to what’s potentially ahead in 2024.

Veterans and rookies for the Indianapolis Colts will report for training camp on July 24th, with the first practice taking place on July 25th.

Between now and then I will be previewing the Colts’ 91-man roster with a look back at each player’s 2023 season, along with what’s ahead for 2024.

I’ll be going through the Colts’ roster alphabetically, so up next is running back Evan Hull. To stay up to date with our other previews, be sure to head over to Colts Wire.

2023 Season Review

Hull was a fifth-round pick by the Colts in 2023. Unfortunately, his rookie season ended in Week 1 after only eight snaps and sustaining a knee injury.

“It was a root tear, so it was a little different than your typical tear in the body, which would be more of a 6-8-week type of thing that we see typically,” Hull said via The Athletic. “So, that was an entirely different process because they needed to basically repair the meniscus and put it back to its root, so you need to stay off (your knee) a lot longer.”

Hull was a big part of the Northwestern offense during his final two seasons, impacting both the running and passing games. For his career on the ground, Hull averaged 5.0 yards per rush with 18 touchdowns. During his final two seasons, he would be targeted 110 times as a pass catcher, averaging an impressive 9.0 yards per reception.

Due to Jonathan Taylor being on the PUP list and Zack Moss sustaining an arm injury that kept him sidelined during a portion of training camp and the first regular season game, Hull got plenty of early opportunities last summer to showcase his ability in the more traditional running back role.

“We saw quite a bit of him at Northwestern do some certain things and we’ve put him in a few positions here that maybe we didn’t see quite as much on his college tape,” said Jim Bob Cooter last August. “I would say he’s pleasantly surprised us.

“… Typically rookie running backs sort of struggle the most in protection because in college football you just don’t see a lot of that. You don’t see them pick up a lot of blitzes – they don’t have to. So, for him to come in and really do more or less a really nice job in protection. He’s been a bright spot at this point sort of in training camp and in the preseason.”

2024 Season Preview

Fully healthy, Hull will find himself in the mix this summer for the Colts’ backup running back role behind Taylor. He’ll be competing with Trey Sermon and Tyler Goodson for that playing time.

After missing just about all of his rookie season, Hull will have to play catchup, to a degree, missing out on valuable practice and playing time. However, even if he doesn’t win the backup job, his ability in pass protection and as a pass catcher could help him carve out a role on third downs or obvious passing situations.

“We look forward to him sort of continuing to get better, which he does have to do,” said Cooter during 2023 training camp. “He’s a rookie, he’s a young guy. He’s learning a ton whether it’s just defensive looks or how they’re playing certain blocks in the run game – how he reads those types of things.

“Certain blitzes, how they fit certain blitzes and how his pickup fits within everyone else – our offensive line’s scheme. Those are the things that he’s learning, but if he does make that first mistake, he usually doesn’t make the second. That’s something that we like.”

Overall, this is a fairly inexperienced group behind Taylor, but the Colts could have made an outside addition to the running back room this offseason and chose not to–other than signing Trent Pennix as a UDFA–which tells us they are bullish on the group they already have.

In the early going of offseason programs, ESPN’s Stephen Holder picked Sermon as one player who stood out during those minicamp practices, but the running back position won’t begin to figure itself out until the pads come on.

Each of these players, Hull, Sermon, and Goodson, having a full offseason in Shane Steichen’s offense will hopefully provide a jumping off point for them, helping to elevate what should be one of the more intriguing competitions the Colts will have this summer.

“Those guys, there’s some great opportunities ahead of those guys to get carries, to get playing time, to earn that game action,” Cooter said.

“We think we know those guys pretty well, but it’s our second year going here and different guys arrived at different times last year, so we’re kind of excited to get a full camp with these guys and find out more about them and obviously complement JT, who’s going to be so huge for us this year.”

You predict which Colts’ RB will win the backup competition

The backup running back competition will be an intriguing positional battle for the Colts, and you can predict who you think will win.

One of the more intriguing training camp battles that will take place this summer for the Indianapolis Colts is for the backup running back role behind Jonathan Taylor.

Below, you can vote for who you think will win this competition.

Last season, this was a role filled by Zack Moss, who is now in Cincinnati. Moss would go on to record almost 800 rushing yards and nearly 200 more in the passing game, scoring seven touchdowns.

Competing for this playing time will be Trey Sermon, Tyler Goodson, and Evan Hull. The Colts also have Xavier Scott and Trent Pennix on the roster at running back as well.

The potential front-runner for this spot could be Sermon, who ESPN’s Stephen Holder picked as the one Colts player who surprised during OTAs and minicamp. Sermon averaged 4.6 yards per rush on 35 carries with the Colts last season and brings a physical running style to the position.

Goodson had even fewer attempts than Sermon last season with only 13 carries, but he showcased his big play potential, averaging 6.7 yards per rush, with three of those carries going for 10-plus yards.

“Trey sure does get the ball to the right place a whole, whole lot,” said offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter via the team site. “Goodie has come in and shoot, he plays fast, he’s running around out there, he gets open in the pass game, makes nice catches, has hit some nice runs in camp. Like I said, pads aren’t on, we aren’t running it a ton.”

Hull’s rookie season was unfortunately cut short after he sustained a season-ending injury in the first game of the year. A fifth-round pick by the Colts last April, Hull averaged 5.0 yards per carry over his career at Northwestern and was a huge factor in the passing game with 110 targets during his final two seasons.

“Evan Hull has really on his way back from injury done a nice job coming in and getting himself back going into the flow of things,” added Cooter.

Overall, this is a very inexperienced group behind Taylor, with the trio combining for only 92 carries in their respective careers and 20 targets in the passing game.

The Colts could have looked to add to this position group to elevate the competition, but internally, they appear to be bullish about the group they already had on the roster.

“Those guys, there’s some great opportunities ahead of those guys to get carries, to get playing time, to earn that game action,” Cooter said.

“We think we know those guys pretty well, but it’s our second year going here and different guys arrived at different times last year, so we’re kind of excited to get a full camp with these guys and find out more about them and obviously complement JT, who’s going to be so huge for us this year.”

Cast your vote below for who you think will be Taylor’s running back coming out of training camp:

Colts’ 2023 draft class ranked near bottom by CBS Sports

CBS Sports ranked the Colts’ 2023 draft class near the bottom of the league.

The Indianapolis Colts came out of the 2023 NFL draft with their biggest haul of the Chris Ballard era, which included several high-potential players at positions of need.

While there is still much promise surrounding the class, the 12-player draft haul didn’t have as big of an impact due to the amount of injuries that hit the group of rookies.

That is largely why CBS Sports had the Colts at No. 25 in their ranking of the 2023 draft classes across the league.

Year 1 hits: WR Josh Downs

Downs was a spark underneath for Gardner Minshew with 68 snags for 771 yards with two scores. JuJu Brents was average at his very best at corner, and fifth-round tight end Will Mallory turned in 18 receptions for 202 yards. Other than that, the Colts did not get much impact from the rest of their huge, 12-pick class. Of course Anthony Richardson waits to return from an early-season shoulder injury.

When it was all said and done, the Colts wound up selecting 12 players in the 2023 draft. Before they entered the regular season, three of those selections suffered season-ending injuries.

Safety Daniel Scott tore his ACL in OTAs, offensive tackle Jake Witt suffered a hip injury that placed him on season-ending injured reserve in August and edge rusher Titus Leo suffered an undisclosed knee injury that forced him to spend the entire season on the injured reserve list at the time of roster cuts.

Then, running back Evan Hull suffered a knee injury in Week 1 that knocked him out for the remainder of the season. Cornerback Julius Brents missed the entire spring workouts due to wrist surgery and didn’t make his season debut until Week 3 due to a hamstring injury.

Quarterback Anthony Richardson missed 1.5 games due to a concussion and then suffered the season-ending shoulder injury while Josh Downs picked up a knee injury halfway through the season that clearly limited his play during the second half.

It was a tough break to see so many rookies deal with injuries, especially given how vital it is for Day 3 picks to get their careers off to hot starts.

Regardless, it will be an important season for the majority of the class in Year 2 as they all look to prove these injuries won’t hinder their development.

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Report: Colts RB Evan Hull out for rest of season

Colts rookie RB Evan Hull reportedly will miss the rest of the season.

Indianapolis Colts running back Evan Hull reportedly will miss the remainder of the 2023 season due to the knee injury he suffered in Week 1 against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

According to Jordan Schultz of The Score, the rookie running back reportedly suffered a torn meniscus during his NFL debut in the regular-season opener.

The Colts put Hull on the injured reserve list after the Week 1 loss.

This report does contradict what head coach Shane Steichen said last week when asked if Hull was expected to return this season.

“At some point, yes,” Steichen told reporters in regards to the expectation of Hull returning.

It’s possible the Colts received new information about the injury over the course of the last week and as we know in the NFL, nothing is set in stone.

The Colts are still without star Jonathan Taylor, who is eligible to return from the PUP list following the Week 4 game against the Los Angeles Rams. Whether the contract dispute will be ongoing is an entirely different conversation and one that doesn’t have a clear answer at this point.

If Hull truly is done for the season as the report suggests, he will be the fourth 2023 draft pick to suffer a season-ending injury. Fifth-round safety Daniel Scott (ACL), seventh-round offensive tackle Jake Witt (hip) and sixth-round defensive end Titus Leo (knee) are the other three draft picks who suffered season-ending injuries.

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Colts expect RB Evan Hull to return this season

Evan Hull is expected to return at some point this season.

The Indianapolis Colts will be without rookie running back Evan Hull for at least the next four games due to a knee injury, but they expect him to return at some point in 2023.

Hull suffered the knee injury during the third quarter of Week 1 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars on an 11-yard run that was called back due to a penalty. He avoided a major knee injury, but it was still serious enough to be placed on the injured reserve list.

With that being said, Hull is expected to return at some point during his rookie campaign.

The Colts are without Jonathan Taylor for at least the next three games as he continues to stay on the PUP list, but what happens after that is a mystery. Meanwhile, they hope to get Zack Moss back this week from his forearm injury.

We should expect the Colts to continue using a committee in Taylor’s absence, for however long that will be, and Hull likely will mix in a bit whenever he returns.

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