Marlon Mack will remain in the AFC South in 2022 but with another team. Mack, a former 1,000-yard rusher for the Colts, is signing with the Houston Texans, according to ESPN.
A fourth-round pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, Mack rose to the top of the Colts' depth chart in 2018, rushing for 908 yards and nine touchdowns in 12 games. The following season, Mack was the focal point of the Colts' offense following Andrew Luck's abrupt retirement during the preseason. He rushed for a career-high 1,091 yards that season to go with eight rushing touchdowns in 14 games.
A torn Achilles injury in Week 1 of the 2020 season kept Mack sidelined for the remainder of that season. He appeared in just six games last season, gaining 101 yards on 28 carries. The Colts' running game was taken over during that time by Jonathan Taylor, who ran for nearly 1,200 yards as a rookie in 2020 before leading the NFL with 1,811 yards and 18 touchdowns last season. Despite Taylor's success, the Colts missed the playoffs after dropping their last two games against the Raiders and Jaguars.
Mack goes from a crowded backfield in Indianapolis to a considerably vacant one in Houston. Former Patriot Rex Burkhead was slated as the team's starting running back prior to Friday's signing of Mack, who faced the Texans five times as a member of the Colts. Houston is coming off of a 4-13 season that saw it finish last in the NFL in rushing and 30th in scoring.