Indianapolis Colts running back Marlon Mack will enter free agency in search of a fresh start.
Remember Marlon Mack? The running back just finished his fifth season with the Indianapolis Colts and will now enter free agency.
The official start of free agency is a date that Mack likely has been awaiting. It will allow him to find a new team and get his career back rolling.
When free agency starts in March, Mack will be just 26 years old and should have a lot of good football left in him.
In Mack’s second and third seasons in the NFL, he started for the Colts, rushing for 908 yards in 2018 and 1,091 in 2019. It looked as if he would be the back in Indianapolis for years to come.
Things started to change in 2020 when Indy drafted Jonathan Taylor and Mack tore his Achilles in Week 1 of the season. Since then, Taylor has emerged as the best running back in the NFL and Mack fell out of Indy’s rotation.
The Colts were unable to move Mack before the trade deadline so he spent most of his 2021 season on the sidelines, often inactive. Now, Mack will be free to sign with any team he wants, so here are 5 potential teams he can join to revive his career.
Marlon Mack could sign with Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a young team with talent that has exceeded expectations this season, making the playoffs. Led by Jalen Hurts and Devonta Smith, Philly is building a core that should compete for the coming years.
One place the Eagles could be stronger at is the running back position. This season, Philly’s leading rusher was Hurts with 784 yards.
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Just behind him was Miles Sanders with 754 yards. The backfield also has Jordan Howard and Boston Scott. However, after the season, Howard will be an unrestricted free agent and Scott will be a restricted free agent.
If the Eagles are unable to retain Scott and Howard, Mack makes a ton of sense. He wouldn’t be signing to be a workhorse, instead, he’d be splitting carries with Sanders to provide a balanced rushing attack.
Marlon Mack could sign with Texans
The Houston Texans need a lot of things, and running back is one of them. This season, they didn’t have a running back with more than 500 yards.
Houston’s leading running backs were Rex Burkhead with 427 yards, Mark Ingram with 294, David Johnson with 228, and Phillip Lindsay with 130.
Now, Ingram is in New Orleans, Lindsay is with the Dolphins and Johnson will be a free agent this offseason. That leaves Burkhead as the only returner.
A healthy Marlon Mack provides the Texans with stability and a skillset that they witnessed in competition. In his last full season, 2019, Mack rushed for more yards, 1,091, than the four backs listed above combined.
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Though, that is partly because the Colts were a reasonably better team than this Texans one.
While Houston will have its hands full this offseason with finding a coach, trading players, and trying to build a competitive roster, signing Mack would be an easy fix at running back.
Marlon Mack could sign with Broncos
The Denver Broncos had a nice backfield this season with veteran Melvin Gordon and rookie Javonte Williams.
Both backs had exactly 203 carries, representing how much of a duo they were. Gordon finished the year with 918 yards and eight touchdowns, while Williams finished with 903 yards and four touchdowns.
They both were productive out of the backfield as well. Williams caught 43 passes for 316 yards and three touchdowns and Gordon caught 28 passes for 213 yards and two touchdowns.
So why do the Broncos need a running back? Well, Gordon enters free agency this offseason and it’s unlikely Denver will want to commit money to a productive veteran when they have a younger back who is ready to roll.
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It’s likely that the Broncos promote Williams to the lead back and allow Gordon to seek a starter role and contract elsewhere.
That will then put Denver in the market for a backup running back, and that’s where Marlon Mack comes in. Whatever deal Mack signs will be inexpensive and he’d be able to provide productive relief to Williams who will be the lead back.
Marlon Mack could sign with Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons unlocked a gem this season in Cordarrelle Patterson. In his ninth year in the league, Patterson had his best season as an offensive weapon.
He rushed for 618 yards and six touchdowns out of the backfield and caught 52 passes for 548 yards and five touchdowns, being a spark plug for this Atlanta offense.
After Patterson, on the depth chart is Mike Davis, who rushed for 503 yards this year. He could be back next season, but there’s also a potential out in his contract. So if the team wants to move on, they can.
Whether Davis stays or leaves, Mack would still be a good addition to the Falcons. If Davis leaves, Mack would provide an upgrade as the No. 2 back behind Patterson.
Marlon Mack said GET OUT OF MY WAY @Marlon_Mack25 pic.twitter.com/4fyWGuW9TL
— The Checkdown (@thecheckdown) September 22, 2019
If Davis stays, Mack and Davis could be a nice backfield and Atlanta could move Patterson around even more and get the most out of his versatility.
Either way, the Falcons’ backfield depth isn’t a lock, and Mack would be a quality pickup for them.
Marlon Mack could sign with Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers drafted Najee Harris in the first round of the 2021 draft and his rookie season proved that he was a good selection.
Harris rushed for 1200 yards and seven touchdowns, while adding 74 receptions for 467 yards and three touchdowns, proving he can be the franchise back for years to come.
The only problem is, Pittsburgh needs to build around Harris so that he can see the coming years healthy.
The Steelers need a lot, but one thing that will really help is a backup running back to help Harris carry the load. After Harris, Pittsburgh didn’t have another player who rushed for over 100 yards this season.
17 games, and only one player eclipsed the century mark. The second leading rusher was Benny Snell Jr. with 98 yards.
To avoid running Harris into the ground, the Steelers need to find a quality back that can provide production when Harris is on the sidelines.
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That can be Marlon Mack. Mack has always been a productive back, he just encountered an unfortunate situation in Indianapolis. But now, his time with the franchise is ending and he can get his career back on track.
Maybe that can be with the Steelers, because they certainly need him. Or maybe it’s with one of the other teams on this list. Everyone will find out once free agency officially arrives.
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