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Trey Sermon

Latest On Colts’ RB Depth

June 24th, 2024 at 7:39pm CST by Ben Levine

The Colts ended their standoff with Jonathan Taylor last October, assuring the running back would stick in Indy for the foreseeable future. With the former All-Pro locked in, the Colts front office had to watch as key backup Zack Moss took a starting gig with the Bengals this offseason.

Taylor has missed 13 games over the past two years, meaning the Colts RB2 should be in line for a significant role. With that in mind, ESPN’s Stephen Holder notes that veteran Trey Sermon is the “likeliest option” to take over that top backup gig following a standout performance at OTAs. Holder points out how Sermon’s “hard-running style” could be appealing to the Colts, and his familiarity with the offense gives him some leeway for the RB2 job.

The former third-round pick collected 193 yards with the 49ers as a rookie, but he was quickly squeezed out of a crowded RBs room. He spent the 2022 campaign in Philly before catching on with the Colts last year. He ended up getting into 14 games with Indy, collecting 173 yards from scrimmage.

He should see an uptick in those numbers next season, even if Taylor remains relatively healthy. The team doesn’t have many other experienced options at the position, although both Evan Hull and Tyler Goodson bring their own intrigue. Hull was a fifth-round pick in last year’s draft, but the Northwestern product spent the majority of his rookie campaign on IR. Goodson was also on the Colts in 2023, collecting 121 yards on 19 touches. Zavier Scott and Trent Pennix round out the depth chart.

“I love the room,” Sermon said of his fellow RBs (via Locked On Colts on YouTube). “Everybody’s a little bit different, but we’re all great running backs. We compete, we push each other. If one of us makes a big play, we’re all excited for each other.”

Minor NFL Transactions: 3/14/24

March 14th, 2024 at 9:44pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor moves:

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Chicago Bears

Dallas Cowboys

Green Bay Packers

Indianapolis Colts

Kansas City Chiefs

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New York Jets

Pittsburgh Steelers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

Colts Release RB Deon Jackson

September 23rd, 2023 at 10:43am CST by Ben Levine

The Colts are moving on from a Week 1 starter. The team is releasing running back Deon Jackson, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. The Colts are filling the open roster spot with running back Trey Sermon, who will be promoted from the practice squad to the active roster.

[RELATED: Colts Add RB Trey Sermon To Practice Squad]

With Jonathan Taylor sitting on PUP and Zack Moss sidelined with a hand injury, the Colts handed Jackson the reigns to start the season. The third-year RB disappointed, finishing Week 1 with 28 yards from scrimmage on 18 touches. Moss returned in Week 2 and stole all the running back carries, and Jackson was limited to only a single special teams snap in that win over the Texans.

Now, Jackson will find himself looking for his next gig. The former UDFA out of Duke spent two-plus seasons in Indy, appearing in 27 games. He started two of his 16 appearances in 2022, finishing with 445 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns.

While the Colts continue to seek a resolution with Taylor, the team has done some work to reshuffle their RB corps this week. The team added Sermon to the practice squad before declaring Evan Hull out for the season with a torn meniscus. For the time being, the Colts will move forward with a depth chart that consists of Moss, Sermon, and Jake Funk.

Sermon started two of his nine appearances for the 49ers during his rookie campaign, with the third-round pick finishing with 193 yards from scrimmage and one touchdown. San Francisco ended up cutting him at the end of the 2022 preseason, and he spent most of last season on the Eagles practice squad.

Colts Add RB Trey Sermon To Practice Squad

September 19th, 2023 at 9:17pm CST by Ben Levine

With Jonathan Taylor‘s future with the Colts looming over the organization, the team has added an intriguing name to the running backs room. The Colts announced that they’ve signed running back Trey Sermon to the practice squad.

[RELATED: Colts Likely To Resume Jonathan Taylor Trade Talks]

It wasn’t all that long ago that Sermon looked like he could be the future RB for the 49ers. However, the 2021 third-round pick quickly fell behind 2021 sixth-round pick Elijah Mitchell in the pecking order, and Sermon was only thrown into the lineup when he was the last man standing. Sermon ended up starting two of his nine appearances during that 2021 campaign, finishing with 193 yards from scrimmage and one touchdown.

The 49ers ended up cutting him at the end of the 2022 preseason, and he quickly caught on with the Eagles via waivers. He wasn’t able to make much of a dent in a deep Philly RBs room, with Sermon garnering a pair of carries (for 19 yards) in two appearances. Sermon was waived/injured by the Eagles back in August, and after passing through waivers and reverting to IR, the Eagles let him go for good last week.

Now he’ll be joining a Colts RB corps that’s a bit uncertain with their leading rusher sitting on PUP. It’s unknown if Taylor will even play again for Indy, leaving the team to figure out a contingency plan at the position. Zack Moss returned from injury in Week 2 and got all of the looks at RB for the Colts, stealing snaps from Week 1 starter Deon Jackson. The Colts are also rostering Jake Funk.

In other words, Sermon has a chance to carve out a role on a questionable depth chart. The team hinted that they could be seeking additional depth at the position when they worked out James Robinson earlier this month.

Browns Hosting Kareem Hunt On Visit; Cam Akers On Radar

September 19th, 2023 at 3:25pm CST by Sam Robinson

3:25pm: This process is moving fast. The Browns are hosting Hunt on a Tuesday visit, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. This marks Hunt’s fourth known visit this offseason. He met with the Vikings, Saints and Colts. As of this past weekend, Indianapolis still had the six-year veteran on its radar.

2:52pm: Nick Chubb‘s gruesome injury has forced the Browns to look for a running back addition. The team is in the Cam Akers trade market, and the Cleveland Plain Dealer’s Mary Kay Cabot reports Kareem Hunt is also back on the radar.

In April, a report emerged indicating the Browns were not planning to bring back Hunt, who played out a two-year, $12MM extension with his hometown team last season. But Hunt has remained a free agent for the past six months. Having visited the Colts, Saints and Vikings, the former rushing champion looms as a natural fit for the Browns, seeing as he spent the past three seasons in Kevin Stefanski‘s system.

At 24, Akers is four years younger than Hunt, who turned 28 last month. The Cleveland-area native came up in trade talks before last year’s deadline, but after Hunt completed a down season, the running back market cratered. No substantial offers have likely come Hunt’s way, leading to the longtime Chubb complementary piece remaining unattached. An interesting opportunity could soon await, though it might depend on what the Rams are willing to accept for Akers. Hunt has logged 1,106 career touches; Akers’ NFL odometer sits at 387.

At least four teams are believed to have discussed Akers with the Rams. The former second-round pick is again on the trade block, becoming a healthy scratch in Week 2. While the Rams and Akers mended fences after last year’s dustup — one that led to trade talks ahead of the 2022 deadline — Sean McVay confirmed a trade represents this latest saga’s likely endpoint.

As Chubb led the NFL in Next Gen Stats’ rushing yards over expected metric last season, with 284, Hunt finished with minus-10. Hunt gained only 678 scrimmage yards in 17 games. The 2017 rushing champ had requested a trade during the 2022 offseason, and after the Browns refused to accommodate him at that point, they were open to an in-season move. A fourth-round pick emerged as a Cleveland ask, but the team ended up hanging onto Hunt during Deshaun Watson‘s suspension. A host of lower-profile backs found deals in March, and Dalvin Cook and Ezekiel Elliott wound up with teams during training camp. Hunt and Leonard Fournette, however, have been unattached for more than six months.

Calf and ankle injuries limited Hunt in 2021; he amassed just 560 scrimmage yards that year. The ex-Chief played a major role in the Browns snapping their near-two-decade playoff drought in 2020, producing 1,145 scrimmage yards and 11 touchdowns alongside Chubb. During the Chubb-Hunt partnership, the latter played a much bigger passing-game role. Akers has not done much as a receiver during his pro career.

Hunt complementing 2022 fifth-rounder Jerome Ford in a similar capacity makes sense for the Browns, who did acquire Pierre Strong from the Patriots in August. Ford played the lead role following Chubb’s season-ending injury Monday night.

Going through an up-and-down career with the Rams, Akers did close the 2022 season well after seeing a July 2021 Achilles tear sidetrack him. Akers produced three straight 100-yard games from Weeks 16-18 but has seen 2022 fifth-rounder Kyren Williams usurp him in L.A.’s backfield. Akers rushed for just 29 yards on 22 carries in Week 1, with most of those totes coming after the Rams had put the Seahawks matchup out of reach.

Hunt arrived back in Cleveland during John Dorsey‘s GM stretch, reuniting with the exec who drafted him with the Chiefs. But Hunt signed the above-referenced extension during Andrew Berry‘s first year at the helm. With this looming as a crucial year for Stefanski (and perhaps Berry as well), it is logical the Browns are looking for a veteran to team with Ford, who totaled just eight carries for 12 yards last season. Trey Sermon also landed on the Browns’ radar, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, but the ex-49ers and Eagles back signed with the Colts’ P-squad.

Eagles’ Avonte Maddox To Undergo Surgery On Torn Pectoral Muscle

September 18th, 2023 at 10:35am CST by Sam Robinson

SEPTEMBER 18: After undergoing an MRI and receiving a second opinion, Maddox will indeed have surgery, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports. As a result of the procedure, the Eagles will be without a starter in their secondary for an indefinite stretch, or potentially the remainder of the season. Maddox is on the books through 2024, but none of his scheduled base salary for that year ($6.85MM) is guaranteed.

SEPTEMBER 15: Letting their starting safeties and linebackers walk in free agency, the Eagles paid up to keep their cornerback contingent intact. The new deals for Darius Slay and James Bradberry kept them in the fold with slot corner Avonte Maddox, who signed an extension back in 2021.

Slay and Bradberry are unlikely to have Maddox alongside them for a while. Another injury has cropped up for the experienced inside defender, with NBC Sports Philadelphia’s John Clark reporting the team fears Maddox suffered a torn pectoral muscle. Maddox is seeking a second opinion, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

The final diagnosis confirming this fear would almost definitely sideline Maddox for the rest of the season. This continues a trend for Maddox, the longest-tenured member of the Eagles’ secondary. The 2018 fourth-rounder missed time because of hamstring, ankle and toe injuries last season. The ankle setback prompted Philly to place Maddox on IR; the toe injury sidelined him for three late-season games. Maddox ended up missing nine of the Eagles’ 20 games last year.

Maddox, 27, left Thursday night’s game in the second quarter. Second-year UDFA Mario Goodrich replaced him in the slot. The injury-relief cameo doubled as Goodrich’s first NFL action. The Clemson product spent last season on the Eagles’ practice squad, and the team retained him via reserve/futures deal in February. The Eagles kept Goodrich on their 53-man roster this year; he may be needed to play extensively going forward.

Joining the Eagles just after their Super Bowl LII-winning season, Maddox has been a regular on their defense since his rookie slate. Despite the team trading for Slay and extending him in 2020, the Eagles paid Maddox not long after. Maddox’s three-year, $22.5MM extension runs through 2024. He is due a $6.85MM base salary next season.

The Eagles already went into last night’s game without defensive starters Reed Blankenship and Nakobe Dean. Additionally, Philly released one of its recent linebacker pickups — Rashaan Evans — from its practice squad Friday. The team also reached an injury settlement with running back Trey Sermon, who landed on season-ending IR — after being waived with an injury designation — last month. This will sever ties between the former third-round draftee and the Eagles, who had claimed Sermon off waivers from the 49ers in August 2022.

Evans requested to be released off the Eagles’ P-squad, Schefter tweets. He has received interest from other teams. While clubs can poach players off P-squads, the player’s options are limited. Evans, who spent several months in free agency this offseason, will try his luck back on the market.

Eagles To Waive RB Trey Sermon

August 29th, 2023 at 1:43pm CST by Sam Robinson

Fielding a running back room that has surely confused fantasy GMs ahead of drafts, the Eagles’ post-Miles Sanders plan — for the time being, at least — will not include Trey Sermon.

The defending NFC champions waived the former 49ers third-round pick Tuesday, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Sermon was viewed as the odd man out in a backfield that still houses Kenneth Gainwell and Boston Scott; those two join offseason pickups D’Andre Swift and Rashaad Penny.

Sermon will be waived with an injury designation, the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jeff McLane notes, adding the third-year back suffered an injury in the team’s final preseason game.

Sermon wound up in Philadelphia via waiver claim last year. The 49ers cut him after his second training camp with the team. Sermon was viewed as a potential starter option for the 2021 49ers, but the team preferred sixth-round pick Elijah Mitchell. The latter remains Christian McCaffrey‘s backup, while the higher-drafted player may soon be on a third team in three seasons.

That said, the Eagles could bring Sermon back into the fold on a practice squad deal. Not a vested veteran, Sermon is subject to waivers. If unclaimed by Wednesday afternoon, Sermon could land on Philly’s 16-man practice squad. He spent most of the 2022 season on that unit, playing in two games.

The Eagles only guaranteed Penny $600K, but the ex-Seahawks first-rounder remains on the team’s roster. One of the NFL’s longest-tenured backup running backs in recent memory, Scott is going into his sixth season with the Eagles. The team acquired Swift during draft weekend — two years after using a fifth-round pick on Gainwell. This convoluted setup should be expected to produce a committee. While Sermon could become part of the group again — if/when injuries occur — he must clear waivers first.

RB Rumors: Cowboys, Eagles, Mattison

August 25th, 2023 at 5:52pm CST by Sam Robinson

Letting Ezekiel Elliott sign with the Patriots and not making a known entrance into the Jonathan Taylor sweepstakes, the Cowboys are still planning to give one of their in-house running backs the backup job to Tony Pollard. Last year’s third-stringer behind Elliott and Pollard, Malik Davis, may be fighting an uphill battle to merely make Dallas’ 53-man roster. With Rico Dowdle the favorite to be Pollard’s top backup, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram’s Clarence Hill notes Davis may be facing a cut. Dowdle and elusive rookie Deuce Vaughn have outplayed Davis during camp, per Hill, with the latter — a 5-foot-5 sixth-rounder out of Kansas State — flashing in games. Vaughn starred with the Wildcats for three seasons, excelling as both a runner and receiver, and continues to make a case for a role on offense.

Dowdle arrived in the NFL as a 2020 UDFA; Davis joined the Cowboys as a UDFA last year. Dowdle has not logged a regular-season carry since 2020, but it looks like the South Carolina product is poised to change that pattern this season. Here is the latest from the running back scene:

  • The Eagles have a deeper cast of running backs, at least in terms of experience. Philly added both Rashaad Penny and D’Andre Swift this offseason, and Kenneth Gainwell and Boston Scott are on track to maintain roles in the defending NFC champions’ crowded backfield. This leaves Trey Sermon as the likeliest odd man out, per The Athletic’s Zach Berman (subscription required). The Eagles added Sermon, a 2021 third-round pick, following his 49ers cut last year but only used him in two games. Sermon could be a practice squad option; he spent much of his first Eagles year as part of that 16-man unit. But the Eagles’ present backfield configuration adds another hurdle for a player once projected to be the 49ers’ Week 1 starter.
  • The Vikings guaranteed 90.7% of Alexander Mattison‘s two-year, $7MM contract — a deal that replaces Dalvin Cook‘s as the top running back pact on the team’s payroll — but incentives will allow the fifth-year back to add to that total. If Mattison clears 750 rushing yards, he would pick up $250K. This applies to each season on the contract, ProFootballNetwork.com’s Adam Caplan notes. That number would bump up to $500K in each year if Mattison notches 1,000 yards. While Mattison has never eclipsed 500 yards in a season, he was never in realistic position to do so. With Cook cut, the longtime RB2 is set for his first season as Minnesota’s starter. The Vikings see Mattison, 25, as a three-down player, Caplan adds, noting the team is determining its RB2. Ty Chandler, kick returner Kene Nwangwu and seventh-round rookie DeWayne McBride are in place behind Mattison.
  • Tarik Cohen is coming off two season-nullifying injuries. The former Bears running back/return man suffered ACL and MCL tears in 2021, and less than a week after Chicago cut him (in May 2022), Cohen suffered an Achilles tear. The former Pro Bowl returner is healthy and ready to work out for teams, ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets. The Bears used Cohen regularly as an outlet option for Mitch Trubisky. In 2018, the 5-6 back totaled 725 receiving yards and led the NFL in punt-return yardage. Although RB value has tanked in 2023, Cohen could represent an interesting flier as a passing-down option. Granted, this is not a good time for a back to be seeking a job coming off two season-ending maladies.

Latest On Eagles’ RB Situation

July 20th, 2023 at 2:05pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Eagles will have a new running back group in 2023 after seeing Miles Sanders depart in free agency. A by-committee approach will be used, but some roster trimming will likely be necessary between now and Week 1.

Philadelphia will likely make one or more moves aimed at lowering the number of backs on the roster, as noted by Geoff Mosher of Inside the Birds. The top of the depth chart will feature newcomers D’Andre Swift and Rashaad Penny. The former was acquired via trade during the draft and is in line to operate as the team’s starter. The latter, signed in free agency, has shown lead-back abilities when on the field but struggled to remain healthy during his time with the Seahawks.

Aside from those two, Kenneth Gainwell and Boston Scott remain in place as returnees in the backfield. Gainwell, a 2021 fifth-round pick, has seen snap shares of just 29% and 28% during his first two seasons in the league, but he totaled 40 touches during the Eagles’ run to the Super Bowl, including a larger role than Sanders in the championship game. Scott has also served in a rotational capacity during his tenure in Philadelphia, one which began in 2018. The 28-year-old re-signed on a one-year contract in March.

That quartet represents plenty of experience and potential, but the Eagles also have Trey Sermon in the fold. A 49ers third-rounder in 2021, the Ohio State alum spent only one unproductive season in the Bay Area. San Francisco attempted to pass him through waivers during roster cutdowns last offseason, but the Eagles put in a claim. Sermon handled just two carries last season as a depth member of a crowded Philadelphia backfield.

That unit still has a logjam entering training camp, with 2022 UDFA Kennedy Brooks joining the aforementioned five backs in the summer competition. As Mosher notes, plenty will be determined in the coming weeks as (in all likelihood) Scott, Sermon and Brooks compete for as little as one roster spot behind Swift and Penny – who are pending free agents – and Gainwell, who has two years remaining on his rookie contract.

RB D’Andre Swift In Line To Start For Eagles

July 5th, 2023 at 2:50pm CST by Adam La Rose

The loss of Miles Sanders in free agency left a signficant vacancy in the Eagles’ backfield, one which is likely to see a by-committee approach in 2023. The newest member of the group is expected to operate as the starter.

D’Andre Swift is set to serve atop Philadelphia’s RB depth chart this season, as noted by Andrew DiCecco and Geoff Mosher of InsidetheBirds.com. That will allow the draft-day trade acquisition to showcase himself ahead of his first foray into free agency next March, while also giving the NFC champions a two-way contributor in the backfield.

The 24-year-old spent three years in Detroit, missing at least three games due to injury in each campaign. That hurt his value to the Lions, a team which used one of its first-round selections in this year’s draft on Jahmyr Gibbs. That decision led to speculation that Swift would be on his way out, and he was indeed dealt to the Eagles as part of a pick swap which cost Philadelphia a 2025 fourth-rounder.

The deal represented a homecoming for Swift, who is likely to contribute in the passing game more than Sanders did in recent years. The Georgia alum has made 156 receptions in his career, averaging 7.7 yards per catch. His efficiency through the air could be a key element in an Eagles offense which will look to reduce the hits quarterback Jalen Hurts took last season. A productive campaign from Swift in the ground game as well (where he has an average of 4.6 yards per carry) could increase the willingness the team already reportedly has in exploring an extension.

Of course, health will be a key factor in Swift’s play, along with that of fellow newcomer Rashaad Penny. The former Seahawk inked a one-year deal with the Eagles in the hopes of putting together a healthy season and thus boosting his value on a new pact in Philadelphia or elsewhere. Penny has been limited to 18 games over the past three seasons, so it remains to be seen how much he will be able to contribute to a backfield which also includes returnee Kenneth Gainwell and 2021 49ers third-rounder Trey Sermon.

How snaps are allotted during training camp and the preseason will be worth watching as the Eagles look to repeat the success Sanders in particular enjoyed in 2022. Provided Swift works with the first-team through the summer and into the fall, he will receive plenty of attention and expectations ahead of an important campaign for player and team.

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