Marlon Mack was cookin’ throughout the 2019 season as he totaled 1091 yards going into week 11.  He had 8 touchdowns and was averaging 4.4 yards per carry.  Well on his way to establishing himself as a special running back in the NFL.  He is now buried in the Indianapolis depth chart and has requested a trade.  So what happened?  Where is he going?  Let’s start with where he came from.

Marlon Devon Mack is a 6 ft, 210 lb savage.  Growing up in Florida he was a 4 star high school recruit that attended the University of South Florida from 2014 through 2016.  There he would amass an impressive 3.609 yards, 32 touchdowns, and average 6.2 yards per carry.  He was selected by the Colts 143rd overall in the 4th round of the 2017 NFL draft.  In 2018 a hamstring injury kept him on the sideline for the first five weeks of the season.  After coming back he would total 1,011 yards from scrimmage, 10 total touchdowns, and ran for 4.7 yards per carry.  

As mentioned earlier, he was having a dynamite season going into week 11 of 2019 when he would fracture his hand and essentially end his season.  In the second round of the 2020 NFL draft, the Colts chose Jonathon Taylor who is also an all purpose back.  Mack was the starter at the beginning of the season, but in week 1 he would tear his achilles.  Going into the 2021 season, Mack had a great training camp and appeared to have recovered from the achilles injury.  Unfortunately after the first couple games, Taylor already solidified his workhorse role, and Nyheim Hines providing speed and athleticism, mostly in the 2 minute offense, there weren’t many snaps for Mack to be had, leaving Mack off the active roster as a healthy scratch.  

As soon as this happened, Marlon Mack approached the team behind closed doors and politely asked to be traded.  The potential landing spots, and the places that would be a right fit for him aren’t always the same.  The fact that he is versatile, and reliable, are the things working in his favor.  The issue is durability concern.  So who needs a running back?  Well who needs one that isn’t stubborn enough to just go to “the next man up”?  The Ravens, the Panthers, the Rams, and the 49ers all have had injury issues.  The Eagles also could use a more viable spell back to Miles Sanders.  The thing is, these teams with health issues probably aren’t exactly lining up for a player with health issues.  Unfortunately for Marlon Mack, it seems that it will be hard for him to find the type of work he is looking for.  He is most likely going to have to wait for teams to become even more thin at the position and need help immediately.  Is this the end of the line or will someone give him a chance to prove he can still be the player that was an emerging star prior to his injury?