Former Pro Bowler Phillip Lindsay seeking role in crowded Colts backfield
WESTFIELD — Phillip Lindsay slipped away from one Lion, bounced off the shoulder pads of another.
He jogged a few more yards before easing up. Actual tackles were few and far between at the Colts’ joint practice with Detroit, so there’s no way of knowing what would have played out in a game situation.
But for a moment, the fifth-year running back flashed the speed and elusiveness that made him a two-time thousand-yard rusher with the Broncos. After a forgettable 2021 split between Miami and Houston — his 2.8 yards per carry by far the lowest of his career — he’s the Colts’ most experienced option in the backfield, trying to establish himself as the No. 3 behind Jonathan Taylor and Nyheim Hines and aware he still has the ability to play at a Pro Bowl level.
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“For me it’s like when Nyheim’s out there doing his thing, you got JT out there, and then all of a sudden you have me that comes in and can just explode at any time,” Lindsay said. “For me I know that at any given second I can break for a long touchdown. That’s just how I’ve always done things. So I think I just bring another element that can help complement JT and Nyheim throughout this long season.”
With the Texans, Lindsay’s job was narrow and specific: get the ball, run between the tackles, pick up a few yards and repeat. He has more to do now, a result of both having other established running backs and the Colts’ offense. He’s picked up tips on route-running from Hines, who caught 40 passes for 310 yards in 2021.
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The 5-8, 190-pound Lindsay lacks Taylor’s explosiveness or Hines’ versatility, but brings his own shifty skill set. Even if he doesn’t play to the level of his early Denver years, he’s a veteran with an established track record who, if nothing else, can carry the ball and give his new teammates an occasional breather.
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“That’s all a pride thing, and honestly, when you start getting hit 24/7 and stuff, it’s good to have other people to help you out,” Lindsay said. “It’s a long season, and in order for us to get where we want to get, and that’s to a Super Bowl, we all have to be firing on all cylinders. So at the end of the day, I’m gonna do what we have to do.”
An undrafted free agent out of the University of Colorado in 2018, Lindsay made the Broncos roster and established a role for himself that year with a strong preseason. In Indianapolis, he’ll have a chance to do it again, to prove he can still be the player who rushed for 2,048 yards and 16 touchdowns in 2018 and 2019.
But that’s not Lindsay's approach. His focus is on not getting injured in a meaningless game. He knows who he is and what he can do, even if his role is lighter and less prestigious than it was at the beginning of his career.
“I’ve played in the game for awhile, so it’s not like I’m trying to prove anything,” he said. “My only thing is to stay healthy and just be who I am, do what I do and that’s consistency. I’m a consistent person and that’s what I like to drive off of, being consistent.”
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Colts RB Phillip Lindsay seeks spot behind Jonathan Taylor, Hines
