Team news: Indianapolis Colts | Page 5

Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson has been taken to the locker room to be evaluated for a concussion.

Gardner Minshew is now in at quarterback while Richardson goes through the concussion protocol. The injury appeared to occur during Richardson’s second touchdown run. Richardson was off to a strong start with those two touchdown runs, already giving him three rushing touchdowns for the season. We’ll get more word as it becomes available.

Rookie RB Evan Hull on IR with knee injury. RB Jake Funk added to active roster from PS.

Related players: Deon Jackson, Zack Moss

It's another blow to a struggling Colt running game that didn't get much of a chance to see what Hull could do before he got hurt in Week 1. Jackson wasn't great but could be in line for at least a lot of snaps in Week 2. We've seen reports that Moss could also return this week from an arm injury.

The Colts could get veteran Zack Moss back for next week’s game against the Houston Texans. He’s coming off a broken arm suffered in training camp and returned to practice last week.

Related players: Jake Funk, Deon Jackson, Evan Hull

The story was mainly about the struggles of the Indy running game in Week 1. Jackson fumbled twice in the game and Hull was injured early. Moss was the team's RB1 to close out last season. Hull showed promise in camp, but is going to miss some time according to the story. So a Moss return could mean he slides right back into the RB1 spot for Week 2, and it's something to monitor this week. The team could also bring in another back, and the story mentioned Kareem Hunt.

Anthony Richardson and Shane Steichen both said after the loss to the Jaguars that Richardson was fine, and the coach reiterated Monday the quarterback is fine.

Steichen said Richardson has knee and ankle soreness and could have returned to the game.

Richardson was sacked four times and took six quarterback hits in his debut Sunday. He also had 10 carries. Richardson hit his knee on the turf in the first quarter and endured a hit on his ankle late in the game. Richardson missed the final three plays for precautionary reasons after Jaguars safety Andre Cisco hit Richardson on a scramble as he neared the goal line with 59 seconds left.

RB Evan Hull "could miss some time" with knee injury, Steichen said, per FOX59's Mike Chappell.

Related players: Deon Jackson, Zack Moss, Jake Funk

Not good timing for the Colts who put Jonathan Taylor on IR and lost Moss to an arm injury this summer. That now leaves Jackson as the team's main back, pending an update on Moss sometime this week. The Colt RBs weren't really a factor in Week 1, outside of QB Anthony Richardson. Jackson did have five catches for 14 yards but outside of that carried 13 times for just 14 yards. The Colts have a winnable game in Week 2 at Houston so Jackson will likely have some fantasy value when our rankings come out later this week.

Justice Hill, a 2019 fourth-round draft pick, has been a reliable special teams contributor throughout his career but has not received more than 58 carries or rushed for more than 262 yards in a season. That might be about to change.

“He played well,” coach John Harbaugh said of Hill after Sunday’s win. “He’s had a heck of a camp. Justice has done a great job, [and] he’s ready to go.”

Gus Edwards, meanwhile, has been one of the league’s most efficient running backs when healthy, entering Sunday averaging 5.2 yards on 501 career carries. Now more than two years removed from a torn ACL that sidelined him for the entire 2021 season, the former undrafted free agent might be ready to handle a larger workload.

Related players: Melvin Gordon, Keaton Mitchell, Jonathan Taylor, J.K. Dobbins

The story said the Ravens could elevate Gordon from the practice squad, but this doesn't seem like it will be the team's only move. Mitchell can return in Week 5 after being placed on IR because of a shoulder injury. The story said Mitchell was a standout at camp this year and could be a name to watch. But with Mitchell on IR, Edwards and Hill should see a majority of the work over the next few weeks at least. The story also mentioned the team could try to trade for Taylor; they were rumored to be in the mix before the Colts put Taylor on IR. However, rumored asking prices from the Colts have been high so it remains to be seen if a deal can be made.

Colts QB Anthony Richardson suffered a knee bruise during Sunday's game against the Jaguars.

Richardson told reporters about the knee bruise but he will be fine. He left the game in the final minute and backup Gardner Minshew closed out the game, a 31-21 loss. Richardson threw for 223 yards and a touchdown with one interception. The Colts head to Houston next week for a date with the Texans.

Zack Moss has returned to practice after breaking his arm early in training camp and he will join Deon Jackson and Evan Hull as options in the backfield against Jacksonville this weekend. On Monday, Colts head coach Shane Steichen suggested that all three backs will get chances to show their skills and that the team will make choices about how to divvy up playing time based on how they perform.

“I think it’s running back-by-committee,” Steichen said, via Joel A. Erickson of the Indianapolis Star. “Whoever’s got the hot hand, let ‘em ride a little bit.”

Related players: James Robinson, Jonathan Taylor

This isn't shocking news, but still disappointing for fantasy purposes. Last year, the Colts gave the RB1 role to Moss to close out the season, and he preformed well to the surprise of many. But with a new coaching staff in place, Moss may not get the same chances he did last season. Jackson has preformed well at times when filling in for Taylor, but Hull is a rookie drafted by the current coaching staff. The team was also expected to host free agent Robinson, who was cut by the Patriots earlier this offseason.

The Miami Dolphins weren't the only team interested in acquiring Jonathan Taylor from the Indianapolis Colts. The Green Bay Packers were also in talks with the Colts and had legitimate interest in trading for the star running back. Indianapolis moved forward after its self-imposed deadline of Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET came and went without receiving what the team deemed an acceptable offer for Taylor, who requested a trade last month and was authorized by the Colts last week to seek out a trade partner.

Related Players: Aaron Jones, A.J. Dillon, Evan Hull, Zack Moss

This saga is far from over, as Taylor is still eligible to be traded despite remaining on the PUP list. The running back will miss at least the first four games of the regular season, regardless of who holds his contract. Taylor heading to Green Bay would be near-catastrophic for fantasy purposes, as we're already dealing with a split that chews into both Jones' and Dillon's fantasy value.

The Dolphins would be easier to stomach for those of us who have been draft best ball teams all Summer, as all of their RB options have been going deep in the double-digit rounds.

No deal: Indianapolis did not find what it felt was a fair-value offer for Jonathan Taylor and it is not trading its All-Pro running back today, league sources tell ESPN.

Related players: Zack Moss, Evan Hull, Deon Jackson

Schefter went on to say with no trade materializing today, Taylor now is expected to remain on the Physically Unable to Perform List, making him ineligible to play the first four games of the season. Taylor now is expected to miss games vs. the Jaguars, at Houston, at Baltimore and vs. the Rams. We recently reported that if Moss is ready to go, he would likely be the team's RB1 with Hull and Jackson also involved. Moss is dealing with a broken arm so it remains to be seen if he'll get cleared for Week 1. Especially in deeper leagues, any of these three backs are worth adding to your roster if you see them on the wire. The Colts could still move Taylor when he's eligible to return in Week 5.