Tag: Evan Hull

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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Colts place RB Evan Hull on injured reserve

Colts RB Evan Hull has been placed on the injured reserve list.

The Indianapolis Colts placed running back Evan Hull on the Reserve/Injured list and signed running back Jake Funk from the practice squad, the team announced Tuesday.

Also, free-agent guard Ike Boettger was signed to the practice squad.

Hull was expected to miss time due to a knee injury he suffered during the Week 1 opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars. While he avoided a major injury, it’s serious enough to keep him off the field for at least the next four games.

This means Hull will be eligible to return ahead of the Week 6 game against the Jaguars in Duval.

Funk was elevated from the practice squad for the opener and then reverted back to the practice squad after the game. However, he now counts against the 53-man roster after being signed Tuesday.

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Colts’ Evan Hull ‘could miss some time’ due to knee injury

Evan Hull is dealing with a knee injury and could miss some time.

Indianapolis Colts running back Evan Hull suffered a knee injury during the 31-21 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars and there’s a chance he could miss time because of it.

Though he didn’t go into details, head coach Shane Steichen told reporters Monday that Hull could be off the field for some time.

“Yeah, he’s just dealing with a knee. He could miss some time, we’ll see. We’re always just looking through those things. We’ll have an update later,” Steichen said Monday.

The Colts have major depth issues in the backfield as Jonathan Taylor is currently on the PUP list and Zack Moss is working his way back from a forearm injury he suffered in training camp.

Meanwhile, Deon Jackson took 13 carries for 14 rushing yards in the Week 1 loss to the Jaguars.

Hopefully, this injury isn’t too extensive and the rookie can get back on the field soon, but there’s a chance the Colts will be without him for some time.

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Colts’ Evan Hull suffers knee injury vs. Jaguars

Evan Hull suffered a knee injury and will not return in Week 1.

Indianapolis Colts running back Evan Hull suffered a knee injury during the Week 1 game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

On a third-quarter run, Hull walked gingerly back to the huddle and eventually had to be attended to by the training staff. He was able to walk off under his own power but was quickly ruled out for the remainder of the game.

With Zack Moss inactive due to a forearm injury, the Colts only have Deon Jackson and Jake Funk as the active running backs Sunday.

Colts downgrade RB Zack Moss to doubtful vs. Jaguars

Deon Jackson appears in line to start at running back for the Colts with Zack Moss doubtful to play.

Deon Jackson is likely to start at running back for the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday against the Jacksonville Jaguars after Zack Moss was downgraded from questionable to doubtful Saturday.

Moss, 25, suffered a broken forearm early in training camp with the Colts and had surgery to repair the injury.

The Colts’ starting running back Jonathan Taylor is on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list after undergoing ankle surgery earlier this year. He’s also in the middle of a public dispute with the team that resulted in a trade request in July.

Jackson, 24, joined the Colts in 2021 as an undrafted free agent and made his first career start last year in a Week 6 game against the Jaguars. He found a lot of success in that matchup, finishing with 42 rushing yards, 79 receiving yards, and a 3-yard rushing touchdown.

He finished the 2022 season with 236 rushing yards and 2019 receiving yards.

If Moss is out of action, it’ll also open up room for fifth-round pick Evan Hull to see offensive snaps Sunday. The rookie finished preseason with 53 rushing yards and 17 receiving yards. Indianapolis also elevated Jake Funk from the practice squad.

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Colts preparing to ride hot hand in Jonathan Taylor’s absence

Without Jonathan Taylor, the Colts are ready to ride the hot hand in the backfield.

As the first week of the season officially arrives for the Indianapolis Colts, they’ll be diving into Week 1 without the services of star running back Jonathan Taylor, who begins the campaign on the reserve/PUP list.

However long Taylor will be absent isn’t exactly clear, but the Colts are preparing to use everyone available until the next step in the process of that saga is taken.

Head coach Shane Steichen said Monday that the plan is to use a committee in Taylor’s absence.

“I think it’s running back by committee, I do,” Steichen told reporters. “With anything, whoever’s got the hot hand – let them ride a little bit and go with that. We’ll rotate those guys in, see where everyone is at and like I said, we’ll ride with the hot hand.”

This shouldn’t come as much of a surprise. The Colts are hardly the first team to implement a committee when the starter isn’t available. How that committee will be shaped is the question.

Entering Tuesday of the game week, the Colts currently have three running backs on the active. However, Zack Moss is still working his way back from the broken arm he suffered during training camp. That leaves just Deon Jackson and fifth-round pick Evan Hull as the available backs for Week 1 if Moss can’t play.

Steichen had somewhat of an update on Moss without revealing whether the back will be ready for the opener.

“Our training staff has done a heck of a job with him. Whether it’s on the treadmill or whatever it is, on the bike, getting his conditioning ready to go,” Steichen said. “Obviously, he hasn’t been in football out there with the guys running around but that’ll be a big process, which he’s been going through and then getting up to speed this week.”

The Colts did hold tryouts for a trio of running backs so there’s a chance they add some depth to the backfield in the event Moss can’t play Week 1. They also have Jake Funk and Jason Huntley on the practice squad.

With the first injury report of the season coming Wednesday, we’ll get a better idea of Moss’ status going into the opener. Regardless, we should expect a full-blown committee for however long Taylor is away from the field.

Studs and duds from Colts’ preseason win over Eagles

Studs and duds from the Colts’ preseason win over the Eagles.

The Indianapolis Colts officially concluded the preseason Thursday night with a 27-13 win over the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field.

Though the Eagles rested their starters, the Colts had their starting units on the field for the entire first half before giving way to the second and third teams.

Rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson got the start and found himself in the gray area. He showed plenty of promise but also some extreme growing pains, which is to be expected throughout the entire regular season. So he won’t be on this list.

Regardless, here’s a look at the studs and duds from the Colts’ preseason win over the Eagles:

5 takeaways from Colts’ 27-13 preseason win over the Eagles

Here are five takeaways from the Colts’ preseason finale win.

The Indianapolis Colts have officially wrapped up their preseason with a win over the Philadelphia Eagles on Thursday night.

It was the dress rehearsal for the starters who played the entire first half outside a handful of players on the defense that left the lineup late in the second quarter.

Here are five takeaways from the final look at the Colts ahead of their season opener: