Colts: 3 players who’ll see their roles reduced in 2021

1. Jordan Wilkins

The Colts cannot justify giving Jordan Wilkins carries in 2021.

Following the re-signing of Marlon Mack, Colts fans will finally get to witness the three-headed backfield that was raved about so frequently last offseason. For those who forget what Mack brings to the table, he tallied 1,999 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns in two seasons as the starter prior to 2020.

Jonathan Taylor, meanwhile, established himself as the clearcut No. 1 on the depth chart after a sluggish start to his rookie campaign, totaling 1,169 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns on 5.0 yards per carry. He even set the franchise record for rushing yards in a single game (254) to close out the year in Week 17.

Then you have Nyheim Hines, who is arguably the most dynamic of the bunch and set career-highs across the board as a rusher last year. While the 2019 fourth-rounder is more adept as a pass catcher out of the backfield, the strides he made between the tackles last year will likely make it impossible for the coaching staff not to feature him in the running game.

We say all of that to remind you that Jordan Wilkins shouldn’t even see the field unless one of the aforementioned three RBs gets injured. We mean no disrespect to the 26-year-old, but we’re talking about a player who recorded just 3.7 yards per carry over 84 attempts last season. That cannot be accepted on a team with playoff aspirations.

Wilkins appeared in 15 games and played 30% of the offensive snaps in 2020, and we honestly wouldn’t be surprised if those numbers were cut in half next season. If Taylor, Mack and Hines remain healthy and live up to a semblance of the hype they’re generating, Wilkins will see his playing time reduced in significant fashion.

Colts: Breaking down Indy’s very difficult 2021 NFL schedule

With the Week 17 matchup against Tampa Bay confirmed, here's a complete breakdown of the Colts' incredibly difficult 2021 schedule.