History points to potential bounce back for Colts RB Hines

May 6—INDIANAPOLIS — It seems as though Nyheim Hines' name is on everybody's lips at the Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center.

As the Indianapolis Colts attempt to improve the league's 26th-ranked passing game, the 25-year-old running back is seen as a key component.

Everyone from general manager Chris Ballard to new quarterback Matt Ryan has highlighted the talent Hines possesses and the nightmares he can cause for opposing defenses.

"I think he's got really good speed," Ryan said. "I think he's got great hands, catches the ball effortlessly. I think he's got ability to get in and out of cuts that is special. I think he's going to be a nice tool for us to find ways to use this season. Really love him as a teammate, he's been awesome to spend time with and fun to work with."

Ryan could be a big part of bringing about a turnaround for Hines this season.

In 2020, Hines tied a career high with 63 receptions and set career highs with 482 receiving yards and four touchdowns on 76 targets. Those numbers dropped to 40 catches, 310 yards and one score on 57 targets last season.

There was a similar drop from Hines' rookie year in 2018 to the 2019 season. In his first NFL season, he caught 63 passes for 425 yards and two touchdowns while seeing a career-high 81 targets. A year later, he had 44 catches for 320 yards and no scores on 58 targets.

The takeaway? The better his quarterback sees the field, the more effective Hines becomes.

His quarterbacks in 2018 and 2020 were Andrew Luck and Philip Rivers. In 2019 and 2021, Jacoby Brissett and Carson Wentz were at the offensive controls.

Ryan already has drawn a host of comparisons to Rivers inside the team facility, and that could be good news for Hines.

"His style — as far as he truly gets through his entire progressions," offensive coordinator Marcus Brady said of the new quarterback's fit with Hines. "He loves getting the backs involved. His coverage recognition to understand, 'OK, they're going to be deep. I'm going to find my back right now' — in rhythm and allowing our backs to catch the ball in space, without a defender right on them, where they can become who they are, which is great runners after the catch.

"That's just kind of his style. It's really just his timing, his rhythm and his accuracy is going to help benefit our backs catching the ball out of the backfield."

Hines has heard all the talk, but he's taking none of it for granted.

He's been around the NFL long enough to understand game plans don't always materialize on the field, and nothing is freely given.

"Even though that's the plan, I have to go out there and earn that plan," Hines said. "So it is great to hear, and I've heard it a lot, and I've tried to honestly not think about that and come here every day to work and really just make the most of the opportunity.

"... If (head coach) Frank (Reich) calls the play for me and I go out there and drop it, I'm not gonna get any more plays. So my goal is to focus on my part of that."

It's not just talk on Ballard's part.

The GM signed Hines to a three-year, $18 million contract extension with $12 million in guarantees during training camp last year. That extension kicks in this season and will pay Hines $3.3 million in base salary, more than three times what he's earned at any other point in his career.

Despite the dip in raw numbers last year, Hines still managed to set career highs in yards per rushing attempt (4.9) and yards per reception (7.8). Those numbers undoubtedly play into the often stated plan to get him more involved this season.

But it's not as though he was left out of game plans in 2021.

"We had plays for him — don't get that wrong," Brady said. "He was — going into games — he had a good plan going in. We do want to use him, and we'll see this offseason — just getting him more involved in different areas and lining him up in different spots and try to just maximize (and) see what he can do.

"That's going to be the challenge for him this offseason. We just want to see what more he can do and bring. But, ultimately, we want to try to get the ball in his hands in space because we know that's where he's great at."

It all obviously sounds good to Hines.

But it's not going to change him as the spring and summer progress.

Since he entered the league as a fourth-round pick out of North Carolina State in 2018, the 5-foot-9, 196-pound speedster has only asked for one thing.

And it's still the thing he wants most today.

"Opportunity," Hines said. "And that's how I've looked at my career here for the past five years. It's just — I'm not a starter, and I know that. I know my role. So I try to get in where I fit in, and hopefully I exceed expectations and I just have more opportunity.

"So I have an opportunity now to put my best foot forward and make the most of it."