Should Colts RB Marlon Mack be worried?
By Ryan Stano
There has been a lot of talk, during the season and this offseason, that the Colts could get a new running back. Should the current one be worried about his job security?
There has been a lot of speculation that Le’Veon Bell could be making his way to Indianapolis. That speculation will only get louder now that the Steelers have decided not to transition tag him. That clears the way for him to be a free agent this offseason.
The reason the Colts have been a speculated landing spot for Bell is the amount of cap space they have, as well as how good their offense already is. Andrew Luck would have another weapon to throw to and Bell would likely get close to the money he is looking for.
If that were to occur, Marlon Mack is on the outside looking in. The second year back would now be placed into a backup role on the team. This comes after he set a playoff franchise record 148 rushing yards in the win against Houston.
Mack has had injury problems which has limited his effectiveness over his first two years in the league. But when he has been healthy, he has shown the ability to be as good as anyone. The problem for him is he still isn’t as good as Bell. Bell might be the best back in the game.
But Mack shouldn’t be worried yet. Chris Ballard has shown no indication that he wants to have someone with as much baggage as Bell does earn as much money as he wants. Ballard won’t be willing to pay $15 million a year to a guy who can’t stay on the field.
The next few weeks will show us what the Colts intend to do. It will be interesting to see if Mack is still the starting back when the season starts in September.