INDIANAPOLIS — The Indianapolis Colts are trading running back Nyheim Hines to the Buffalo Bills, the team announced Tuesday.
The Colts will receive running back Zack Moss and a conditional 2023 sixth-round draft pick from the Bills.
The Colts drafted Hines in the fourth round of the 2018 NFL Draft out of North Carolina State University. In his five seasons with the team, he has rushed for 1,205 yards and 10 touchdowns. He's also caught 235 passes for 1,725 yards and seven touchdowns. Additionally, he's tallied 73 punt returns for 862 yards and two touchdowns, along with 13 kickoff returns for 263 yards.
Tuesday evening, Hines thanked Colts fans for their support.
"Thank you Colts Nation, my teammates, and the entire organization for the last 5 years. You all really took me in and will always be a part of my journey. I’m truly grateful," Hines wrote.
Hines had been expected to pick up some of the running game load with Jonathan Taylor's ankle injury sidelining him earlier this season. But then Hines suffered an injury himself, leaving the field against the Denver Broncos with a concussion.
Moss has been with the Bills since being picked by the team in the third round of the 2020 NFL Draft. He's had 225 carries for 917 yards and eight touchdowns in his career. He's also caught 44 passes for 319 yards and two touchdowns.
The trade comes the same day the Colts let go of offensive coordinator Marcus Brady.
"It is very curious for an offensive coordinator to be fired midseason, when they don't call the plays and we see other glaring areas of issue on the offense, like we've talked about with the offensive line," said Locked On Colts host Jake Arthur. "Right now, it kind of seems like a scapegoat situation."
Brady joined the Colts' coaching staff in 2018 as the assistant quarterbacks coach. He took over as offensive coordinator in 2021 when Nick Sirianni left to take the head coaching job for the Philadelphia Eagles.
"This was an incredibly hard decision, but one I felt needed to be made in the best interest of the team," head coach Frank Reich said in a statement. "I appreciate Marcus’s commitment to the organization, and he made a significant contribution to our offensive success over the last five seasons. I wish him the best moving forward."
Arthur said the move to fire Brady seems "desperate."
"It seems like they know it's not going to end well and they're getting ahead of it," Arthur said.
