The Colts young running backs discuss Zack Moss’ essential time in Indianapolis.
Despite the contract holdouts around star running back Jonathan Taylor last summer, Zack Moss was always expected to show up on any given day, ready to practice like the uncontested starter.
Despite missing the bulk of the Colts’ 2023 training camp due to a broken arm, Moss was there and attentive every day before his comeback. Moss would efficiently spearhead the Colts’ rushing attack for the first quarter of the season while he was fit and Jonathan Taylor was still on the PUP list.
Zack Moss led the NFL in rushing yards during the first few weeks of 2023, eventually holding the lead through the season’s first six weeks while Taylor worked his way back into the lineup. Moss’ entire campaign of 794 rushing yards and 7 touchdowns led in a two-year, $8 million contract with the Cincinnati Bengals to become
Fast forward to current summer, and Jonathan Taylor is the only veteran in the RB room. Moss’s ‘lead by example’ mindset would eventually rub off on the rookie running backs who stood underneath him on the depth chart a season ago. WISHTV’s Andrew Chernoff and Josh Bode spoke with Trey Sermon and Evan Hull about Moss’ impact on them, and this is what they had to say.
Former @Colts RB Zack Moss, who signed with the @Bengals this offseason, left a big impact on his former Indy teammates. –> https://t.co/aLRJBeduSA@treyera | @Hull7Hull | @coachDLSmith1 | @WISHNews8 | #ForTheShoe pic.twitter.com/6N2AbXJZQ5
— Andrew Chernoff – WISH-TV (@ADChernoff) June 19, 2024
“Be ready,” said fourth-year running back Trey Sermon. “You never know when you’re opportunity is going to present itself so just coming in each and every day ready to go, preparing like you’re the starter so that you’re ready and that you don’t have to get ready for that opportunity.”
Sermon signed with the Colts last season, his third NFL squad in as many years. He totaled 160 rushing yards on 35 carries while filling in, including a game against the Steelers where he had 17 rushes for 88 yards, a 5.2 yard average.
Evan Hull missed his first season due to a damaged meniscus, but he was just cleared for a full workload. Hull was understandably taken under Moss’ wing while incapacitated, and he expressed his gratitude for having a person like that around.
Evan Hull, a second-year running back, said: “He had that veteran demeanor. When he was out on the field, you could see how he prepared. You know what I mean? This was not his first rodeo. You absolutely learn from a guy like that. That’s absolutely something I value as a young back: seeing a veteran who has gone through those growth pains and can point you in the correct direction.”
This year’s training camp at Grand Park in Westfield, Indiana, will boast a healthy backfield with no contract conflicts hanging overhead like a drooping cloud. Zack Moss is no longer an Indianapolis Colt, but his 1.5-year time there was beneficial to the young running backs with whom he worked. If Sermon or Hull can produce even half of what Moss did last season, Jonathan Taylor and Anthony Richardson’s legs will be forever thankful.
