Colts
Colts HC Frank Reich let it be known he has big expectations for RB Nyheim Hines this season and mentioned him as one of their top three receiving weapons.
“It’s incumbent upon us to spread the ball around, number one,” Reich said, via Kevin Bowen of 107.5 The Fan. “But also, would we like to have Nyheim be up there as far as at the end of the season when you tally up who has the catches, do we want Nyheim to kind of be one of those top three guys? Probably, yeah.”
Hines’ reception total dipped to a career-low 40 in 2021, as QB Carson Wentz wasn’t always the best at getting the ball to his running backs. That’s not expected to be the case with new QB Matt Ryan, so the expectation in Indianapolis is for Hines to have a season more like his rookie year in 2018 and his third year in 2020, both of which he had 63 receptions.
“We had plays for him (last year), don’t get that wrong,” Colts OC Marcus Brady says of Hines. “Going into the games, he had a good plan going in… We do want to use him, and we’ll see this offseason, just getting him more involved in different areas and lining him up in different spots and try to just maximize (and) see what he can do. That’s going to be the challenge for him this offseason. We just want to see what more he can do and bring. But ultimately, we want to try to get the ball in his hands in space because we know that’s where he’s great at.”
Texans
Texans DT Maliek Collins appreciates HC Lovie Smith and the importance he places on having a strong defensive front. That helped prompt Collins to re-sign with Houston after a solid 2021 season.
“It’s different when you play for a coach that really values what you do as a front,” Collins said via the team’s official website. “He values the defensive front so much and understands what we’re supposed to do, how we’re supposed to disrupt. Being a 3-technique, and the demand of what I have to do, Lovie understands that. That’s something that I value.”
Titans
Titans WR coach Rob Moore, veteran WR Robert Woods, and QB Ryan Tannehill have all closely been watching WR Treylon Burks since he was drafted by the team and has been sidelined due to issues with his asthma.
“We’re doing everything we can to keep him abreast,” Moore said, via Turron Davenport of ESPN. “He’s done a great job of responding to everything we’ve given him. It’s just a matter of taking all that information and putting it to practice.”
“He’s always being quizzed by Rob Moore, [OC Todd Downing], coach [Mike] Vrabel,” Woods added. “They were always throwing out questions, picking his brain. So he was always on the hot seat. We’re just doing that so he can pick up the offense as fast as he can.”
The goal is for Burks to not fall behind mentally while he gets up to speed physically.
“We’ve had a lot of conversations as we’re watching tape and talking through the reps that other guys have had,” Tannehill said. “Just wanting to make sure he’s hearing it, sees what I’m looking for and kind of hearing what he’s thinking. We’re communicating. Then whenever the time comes for him to be out there running with us, we’ll take advantage of those reps.”
Obviously, expectations are high for Burks as a first-round pick, let alone one replacing a star like A.J. Brown, and being sidelined for OTAs and minicamp is an inauspicious start. But there’s still plenty of time for him to make an impact and he’s trying to keep things in perspective.
“I’m just taking it one day at a time and everything else will take care of itself,” Burks said. “Everybody is going to have setbacks. It’s just how you come back and attack it.”
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