Colts Lament Loss of Marlon Mack

Running back Marlon Mack ruptured his right Achilles tendon in Sunday’s loss at Jacksonville and is out for the season. Rookie Jonathan Taylor becomes the Indianapolis Colts’ starter.

Indianapolis Colts head coach Frank Reich confirmed the anticipated bad news in a Monday video call, that starting running back Marlon Mack tore his right Achilles tendon in the opener at Jacksonville and will be out for the season.

Then Reich’s voice lowered. As a third-year NFL head coach who was a former player and often reminds about his genuine appreciation for players, the Mack injury hurt. Not just him, but the locker room.

“That’s really unfortunate,” Reich said. “Marlon is beloved in our locker room. (There's) such an immense amount of respect and love for this guy. He’s a true Colt. He was just looking so good in training camp. Even in his few snaps (Sunday), he just looks like lightning, man, he just looked like lightning out there.”

Mack caught a short pass over the middle just inside midfield and turned to run upfield before being tackled. He immediately grabbed his lower right leg.

The Colts, who lost 27-20 to the Jaguars, were counting on Mack to team up with rookie Jonathan Taylor and third-down back Nyheim Hines. Mack couldn’t have been more selfless when Taylor was drafted in the second round. Some NFL players aren’t so accepting when another at the same position is added, but Mack helped Taylor from day one and continued to teach the rookie on everything from football nuances to off-the-field adjustments. Mack also spoke with admiration about Taylor, about how his new teammate was going to be a special player.

Practically before he can catch his breath after an NFL debut, Taylor is now the starter, Reich said. The Colts didn’t run the ball particularly well — Taylor was stacked up in finishing with 22 yards on nine carries — but the rookie did show his explosiveness with six receptions for 67 yards, including a 35-yard catch in which he sped into the open and finished by pushing tacklers about five yards.

Taylor, who has power and speed, was thought to be the perfect complement to Mack, a 2017 fourth-round pick out of South Florida. Mid-round selections often don’t make the roster, but Mack appeared in 14 games as a rookie with a 3.9-yard-per-carry average. He worked his way into the starting role, raising his career yard-per-carry average to 4.4. He had just enjoyed his first 1,000-yard rushing season with 1,091 last year.

As difficult as it is for a running back to recover from an Achilles injury, another sad reality is that Mack had just begun a contract year, one he hoped would lead to a lucrative deal in the offseason. It’s quite possible, because of the severity of his injury, the Colts won’t re-sign him. That and the fact that T.Y. Hilton, Justin Houston, Denico Autry, Anthony Walker, Malik Hooker, and Philip Rivers aren't signed after this season.

“It’s very unfortunate, very bad timing for him and his family,” Reich said. “I haven’t had a chance to talk to Marlon yet. I did leave him a message today, saying I really believe the best football is still ahead for Marlon Mack. That guy is a class act in every way and a great player.”

Jordan Wilkins, who has had some impressive rushes as a reserve in two seasons, will take on more responsibility behind Taylor and Hines.

“Jonathan will step into the starting role,” Reich said. “He looked good (on Sunday). I won’t go into it with Marlon again, it’s such a big loss. I’m so upset for Marlon. But Jonathan’s ready, he’ll do a great job.

“Nyheim is still going to be an important part of the mix, on all downs, not just on third down. Then Jordan will step up. We’ve got a lot of confidence in Jordan. I’m a big Jordan fan."

Reich made it clear that Taylor is expected to take ownership of the position.

“We’re still going to rotate guys through,” the coach said, “but Jonathan’s got to be the lead dog, and have that mindset and have that confidence.”

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(Phillip B. Wilson has covered the Indianapolis Colts for more than two decades and authored the 2013 book 100 Things Colts Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die. He’s on Twitter @pwilson24, on Facebook at @allcoltswithphilb and @100thingscoltsfans, and his email is phillipbwilson24@yahoo.com.)