Zach Moss has quickly emerged as one of the NFL‘s most productive running backs this season and the early focal point of the Indianapolis Colts‘ backfield.
With Jonathan Taylor now back with the team, though, could Moss have more value to Indianapolis in a potential trade to acquire talent at other positions? That’s a question Colts general manager Chris Ballard will have to ponder ahead of the Oct. 31 trade deadline.
If Ballard does ultimately decide to move Moss, let’s take a look at some landing spots that could make sense.
Why Moving Zack Moss Makes Sense
Moss, now in his fourth NFL season, has not been a consistent starter at any point in his career before this year.
The former third-round pick by the Buffalo Bills in the 2020 NFL Draft never started in his time with the Bills before being traded to Indianapolis midway through last season. He made eight appearances for the Colts, including three starts, and has since started in five of his six appearances this season with Jonathan Taylor sidelined early on.
Taylor has since signed a three-year, $42 million contract extension that places him among the league’s highest-paid running backs and runs through the 2026 season.
That long-term commitment to Taylor would likely make Indianapolis reticent to sign Moss for the kind of money he will likely command this offseason after completing the final year of his rookie contract. Moss is on the books for a little over $1.1 million in base salary this season, a figure any team trading for him would only be partially responsible for, given the games he has already played.
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All of those factors seem to make Moss a likely player for the Colts to deal him at the deadline rather than watching him walk for nothing in the offseason.
Best Fits for a Moss Trade
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Buccaneers (3-3) have come up as likely suitors for any of a number of potentially available running backs at the trade deadline, given their lack of production at the position.
Second-year back Rachaad White (263 rushing yards, 163 receiving yards, one TD) has been their only consistent contributor at the position, and even then, he has exceeded 40 rushing yards just twice this year. He looks the part of a solid secondary option behind a workhorse, but not the featured back Tampa Bay could use to ease Baker Mayfield’s offensive burden.
That’s where Moss could slot in nicely as a player who has shown an ability to handle an ample workload for the Colts this season. At least on paper, Moss’ physical style would be nicely complimented by White’s pass-catching abilities.
It’s a deal that makes too much sense for the Bucs to ignore alongside other running back options and could certainly help shore up their issues there.
Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys (4-2) have leaned on Tony Pollard to handle most of the ball-carrying duties this season and could certainly use another option to take some of the burden off of him.
Pollard has been a consistent threat both running the ball and catching passes for Dallas this year, with 96 carries for 370 rushing yards and two touchdowns alongside 25 catches for 176 yards. The Cowboys have struggled to score red-zone touchdowns this season at just a 39.13% clip, well down from last year’s rate of 71.43%.
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That downswing has coincided with the departure of veteran running back Ezekiel Elliott, a physical runner who could often be leaned on in those red-zone situations. Moss’ skill set, at least on paper, looks to be a solid replacement for what Dallas lost with Elliott’s departure.
Although the Cowboys might not be willing to give up the assets necessary to acquire Moss with perhaps no real prospects of re-signing him in the offseason, the move still might be worth exploring as a rental at the right price.
Cleveland Browns
It’s no secret that the Browns (4-2) are in desperate need of help at the running back position, given the injuries they have suffered there.
Star running back Nick Chubb went down with a season-ending leg injury in their Week 2 loss to the Steelers, just the latest injury in a career full of unfortunate health for Chubb. Jerome Ford also went down with an injury in Sunday’s win over the Colts, though it does not appear it will sideline him long-term, and Kareem Hunt played through a thigh injury during the contest.
Although there aren’t other serious injury concerns outside of Chubb at this point, the group is certainly a big banged up and could do with another consistent option to give Ford and Hunt ample opportunity to recover.
Chubb is still under contract for the 2024 season at a base salary of nearly $12 million, which could give Cleveland pause in considering giving up significant assets to acquire another running back it would have to pay this offseason.
Still, Moss could make sense as a rental option at the right price, with the Browns looking to contend this year behind a stout defense and plenty of offensive talent elsewhere.
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