Tag: Trey Sermon

‘Great opportunities ahead’ in Colts’ backup RB competition

There are ‘great opportunities ahead’ for whichever of the Colts’ running backs can secure the backup role behind Jonathan Taylor.

One of the more intriguing positional battles that will take place for the Colts this summer will be for the backup running back role behind Jonathan Taylor, a competition that won’t really begin to heat up until the pads come on.

“When the pads come on, the running backs really figure it out,” offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter said via the team site.

Competing for this playing time will be Trey Sermon, Evan Hull, and Tyler Goodson. With Taylor appearing in only 10 games last season, Zack Moss would total almost 800 rushing yards for the Colts and another 192 as a pass catcher, scoring seven touchdowns.

Perhaps the front-runner for that role is Trey Sermon, who ESPN’s Stephen Holder selected as one player who surprised during offseason programs. On 35 rush attempts last season, Sermon averaged 4.6 yards per carry, adding another physical presence to the position.

Goodson’s opportunities were even more limited last season, totaling just 13 carries, but he showcased his big play potential, averaging 6.7 yards per carry, with three attempts going for 10-plus yards and two picking up at least 15 yards.

“Trey sure does get the ball to the right place a whole, whole lot,” Cooter said. “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, a fifth-round pick by the Colts in 2023, suffered a season-ending injury in Week 1. Hull averaged 5.0 yards per carry during his career at Northwestern and was a key part of the passing game, totaling 110 targets in his last 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.

The Colts would have to be mindful about tipping their hand based on their personnel, but with Goodson and Hull able to impact the passing game, one of them combined with Sermon as the lead ball carrier behind Taylor could provide Shane Steichen with options at backup running back depending on the opponent and the situation.

Overall, this is a fairly inexperienced trio, combining for just 92 career carries, with Sermon having 78 of them, and 20 total targets.

However, the Colts could have made an outside addition to this room this offseason and chose not to. The continuity of each of these players having a full year in Shane Steichen’s offense will hopefully provide a jumping-off point for them in 2024, helping to elevate the competition once the pads come on.

“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.”

ESPN picks RB Trey Sermon as Colts player who surprised during minicamp

Each of ESPN’s NFL reporters picked one player from each team that surprised during minicamp. For the Colts, that player was RB Trey Sermon.

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.”

ESPN projects Trey Sermon to be RB2 behind Jonathan Taylor

ESPN projected the 2024 stats for key players on each NFL team. These numbers tell us that they expect Trey Sermon to be RB2 for the Colts.

The competition for the backup running back spot behind Jonathan Taylor will be one of the more intriguing training camp battles to take place for the Indianapolis Colts.

Although Taylor has shown that he can handle a heavy workload, the second running back role has become increasingly important in the NFL over the years, with teams being mindful of the number of touches their lead back has throughout a season.

ESPN’s Mike Clay recently put together stat projections for key players on each NFL team. At running back for the Colts, it was Trey Sermon who had the most rushing attempts and yards, making him the projected RB2 for Indianapolis this season.

Clay’s projections have Sermon totaling 76 carries, 328 yards, and two touchdowns. He also is projected to catch nine passes for 59 yards.

When called upon, Sermon filled in well last season. He would carry the ball 35 times at 4.6 yards per attempt. Sermon also caught three passes for 13 yards, per PFF.

Overall, this is a fairly inexperienced group behind Taylor. Between Sermon, Evan Hull, and Tyler Goodson, the trio have just 92 combined carries in their careers, with Sermon accounting for 78 of them. In the passing game, these three have only 20 total targets.

However, despite some unknowns, the Colts feel good about the depth that they have in the running back room, which is why they chose not to add to this position group in free agency or the draft.

“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,” added 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.”

Although, by Clay’s projections, Sermon may be the official backup running back, Hull will have a role as well. He is predicted to have 15 carries for 115 yards and a touchdown.

Hull also plays a bigger role in the passing game, with 11 receptions for 80 yards. Hull comes to the NFL with quite a bit of pass-catching experience from his time at Northwestern.

Last season, it was Zack Moss who was the Colts’ second running back option. Moss totaled almost 800 yards and scored seven touchdowns. He would sign with Cincinnati during free agency.

A strong run game can be a young quarterback’s best friend, helping to keep the offense out of predictable passing situations, along with setting up play-action and RPO opportunities.

With Taylor healthy and one of the game’s best offensive line units, the Colts are set up for success on the ground. Now, the final piece of that puzzle is finding a reliable secondary option.

A look back at Eagles 2023 NFL free agent class

With 2024 NFL free agency set to begin in less than two weeks, we’re looking back at the Philadelphia Eagles 2023 free agent class

Coming off of their Super Bowl LVII loss to the Chiefs, the Philadelphia Eagles lost several starting players to free agency — C.J. Gardner-Johnson, Marcus Epps, T.J. Edwards, and Kyzir White.

Howie Roseman helped alleviate some of that loss by adding six veterans on one-year deals to help the Eagles return to the postseason in 2023.

Philadelphia started 10-1, before losing six of their final seven games including a wild card loss to the Buccaneers.

One big reason for the collapse was the lack of production from each of those veteran additions.

Kansas City repeated as Super Bowl champions, and with all the attention now focused on 2024 NFL free agency, we’re looking back at the 2023 class.

Colts’ Zack Moss downgraded to OUT vs. Falcons

Zack Moss (forearm) has been downgraded to OUT for Week 16.

Indianapolis Colts running back Zack Moss (forearm) was downgraded from questionable to out ahead of the Week 16 matchup against the Atlanta Falcons, the team announced Saturday.

This doesn’t come as much of a surprise considering Moss failed to log a practice all week. The fact that he was given a questionable injury designation was slightly a bigger surprise.

While Moss’ absence certainly hurts the depth of the backfield, the Colts will see the return of star running back Jonathan Taylor from a three-week absence following thumb surgery. Taylor was a full participant at practice all week.

The Colts also have Trey Sermon and Tyler Goodson on the active roster so they will be going with three backs on Sunday with Taylor seeing the majority of the work.

[lawrence-related id=92799,92796,92794]

Fantasy football waiver wire: Week 16 free agent forecast

Here are the top waiver wire targets for Week 16 of fantasy football.

For the majority of leagues, the first round of the fantasy football playoffs comes to an end Monday night after a wild weekend of games in Week 15.

Hopefully, you were able to get through the week unscathed with a victory, but there were plenty of injuries that hit managers right in the starting lineup.

Among the players with injuries to monitor enter Week 16 include Ja’Marr Chase, Keenan Allen, Josh Jacobs, Alexander Mattison, Brian Robinson Jr., Michael Pittman Jr., Zack Moss, AJ Dillon and Isiah Pacheco.

The bye weeks also are finally over, so it will be just good old-fashioned fantasy football. With trade deadlines concluded in the majority of leagues as well, the waiver wire becomes the most vital tool for fantasy managers over the three weeks.

We’re also getting to the point of the season in which stashing FAAB isn’t as crucial. Don’t hesitate to spend a bit more on a player who might give your team an edge down the stretch.

We’ll be taking a look at the top available players rostered in Yahoo leagues, using the 75% rostered mark as the threshold. If you have any questions about prioritizing a certain player over another, don’t be afraid to hit me up on X, formerly Twitter, (@KevinHickey11). Your questions and comments are always welcome!

We also will be taking a look at some deeper players to stash and the top streaming options for the upcoming week.

Fantasy football waiver wire recommendations refer to 12-team league formats, unless specifically stated.

Check back for any updates throughout Monday and Tuesday as more injury news becomes available.

5 takeaways from Colts’ 30-13 win over Steelers

Here are five takeaways from the Colts’ 30-13 win over the Steelers.

It looked like it was going to be another week where things were going to go wrong for the Indianapolis Colts.

Following a shanked missed 56-yard field goal attempt by Matt Gay, the Pittsburgh Steelers marched down the field for a touchdown, but missed the PAT attempt to make it a 6-0 game. On the following drive for the Colts, they would go three-and-out, and the Steelers blocked the punt to set up their second touchdown of the game for the 13-0 lead early in the second quarter.

Then the game got flipped upside down. Indy would score a touchdown to respond to Pittsburgh and would go on to score 30 unanswered points despite losing Michael Pittman Jr. and Zack Moss in the second quarter.

This win ended the eight-game losing streak to the Steelers and the Colts are now 7-0 when they have the lead at halftime.

This was a crucial win for Indianapolis with the Cincinnati Bengals winning early today to keep their playoff hopes alive entering the final three weeks.

Here are five takeaways from Indy’s victory:

Studs and duds from Colts’ 30-13 win vs. Steelers

Taking a look at the studs and duds from the Colts’ 30-13 win over the Steelers.

The Indianapolis Colts (8-6) continued their playoff push with a 30-13 win at home against the Pittsburgh Steelers (7-7) on Saturday.

It wasn’t pretty in the first half, especially as the Colts were down 13-0 early on after a missed field goal, a touchdown drive allowed and then a blocked punt that led to another Pittsburgh touchdown.

But the Colts were able to prevail thanks to some big plays by the passing offense after Gardner Minshew gave Indianapolis their first lead as they took a 14-13 halftime lead.

From there, the Colts outscored Pittsburgh 16-0 in the second half as they cruised to a convincing 30-13 victory.

Here’s a look at the studs and duds from the Week 15 win:

Colts dominate Steelers, 30-13: Everything we know from Week 15

Recapping the Colts’ massive 30-13 win over the Steelers.

The Indianapolis Colts (8-6) snapped an eight-game losing streak against the Pittsburgh Steelers (7-7) with a dominating 30-13 win Saturday at Lucas Oil Stadium.

In what was essentially a must-win, this game did not start out well for the Colts. They fell 13-0 early in the second quarter, and it appeared we were getting an encore of the Week 14 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.

However, the Colts kept the energy up and wound up scoring 30 unanswered points over the course of the final three quarters of the game. The Colts put together arguably their most complete game despite Michael Pittman Jr. and Zack Moss exiting, which added to the absences of Jonathan Taylor and Braden Smith.

The Colts continued taking the ball away, winning the turnover battle 3-0, and the pass rush came through in a big way during the second half. This game could have featured a bigger score had it not been for a pair of brutal drops in the end zone during the first half.

Still, the Colts kept their playoff hopes alive in a must-win game and they still control their own destiny with three games remaining.

Here’s everything we know from the Week 15 win:

Oklahoma Sooners land three in ESPN’s top 50 college football transfers from the portal era

The Oklahoma Sooners have had a ton of success in the transfer portal as they have landed three of the top 50 of all-time according to ESPN.

The transfer portal giveth and the [autotag]transfer portal[/autotag] taketh away.

The Oklahoma Sooners have been one of the college football teams that have had a great deal of success in the transfer portal era. That era is defined as anyone who transferred between 2018 and 2023, even though technically, the portal didn’t become a thing until October 2018.

So, that eliminates [autotag]Baker Mayfield[/autotag] and [autotag]Kyler Murray[/autotag] from the discussion. But still,Oklahoma has had a history of doing well with transfer players. ESPN (subscription required) came up with a list of the top 50 players in the transfer portal era. The Sooners landed three of them.

The first one came in at No. 50: [autotag]Michael Turk[/autotag]. Turk transferred to Oklahoma from Arizona State and had an average of 48.4 yards per punt with a 44.1 net average over two years.

We start with some special teams love. When you dip into the portal for a punter, “NFL special teams lineage and a 48-yard average” is pretty much exactly what you’re looking for. – Bill Connelly ESPN

Turk was a godsend to the Sooners. He helped shore up any special teams issues. The team and its fans found out quickly how big a loss he was this season.

The next one on the list for Oklahoma was [autotag]Dillon Gabriel[/autotag] at No. 9. Gabriel transferred from UCF and played the 2022 and 2023 seasons at Oklahoma. He threw for 6,828 passing yards, 688 rushing yards, and 73 total touchdowns in 24 games.

He began his career in 2019, winning 10 games at UCF. Four years later, he won 10 games at OU. He’s seventh in all-time passing yards and eighth in touchdowns … and he still has a year of eligibility left. – Connelly

After losing [autotag]Caleb Williams[/autotag] to the portal, the Sooners were very lucky to get someone as talented as Gabriel to take over at quarterback. He was always underappreciated, but he was a very good quarterback for Oklahoma.

The last one for the Sooners is [autotag]Jalen Hurts[/autotag], coming in at No. 8. Hurts transferred in from the Alabama Crimson Tide and played one season in Norman in 2019. He had 3,851 passing yards, 1,298 rushing yards and 52 total touchdowns in that one season.

He came within three seconds of leading Alabama to a national title as a true freshman, lost his job to Tua Tagovailoa and moved to Norman to completely rehabilitate his reputation under the most QB-friendly coach in the country. It took Joe Burrow and LSU to outscore the Sooners in the CFP. – Connelly

Hurts was close to becoming Oklahoma’s third straight Heisman winner; he finished as the runner-up to Joe Burrow. He led Oklahoma on a magical season and now has Oklahoma and Alabama fans arguing over who takes credit for his NFL success.

That’s what the transfer portal provided for the Sooners. The portal also took away two former Sooners who made the list in Williams and [autotag]Trey Sermon[/autotag].

Fans have mixed feelings about the portal, but it’s clear it is here to stay. It’s time for teams to start embracing it. The Oklahoma Sooners have and to great success.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Jaron on Twitter @JaronSpor.