AFC-best Bills acquire Colts RB Hines for RB, pick

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The Bills added the versatile moving backmost the squad has been searching for to adhd to their top-ranked discourtesy by trading for Indianapolis Colts moving backmost Nyheim Hines connected Tuesday successful speech for moving backmost Zack Moss and a conditional 2023 sixth-round prime that tin go a fifth-round pick.

The Bills, who pb the AFC with a 6-1 record, person been looking to adhd a dynamic pass-catching backmost for immoderate time, primitively astir closing successful connected a woody earlier this twelvemonth for Washington's J.D. McKissic earlier helium decided to re-sign with the Commanders. The squad drafted moving backmost James Cook successful the 2nd round, to capable a relation arsenic a receiving threat, and helium has been processing implicit the people of the season. His champion receiving show came successful this past week's crippled against the Green Bay Packers with a 41-yard reception.

Since Hines, 25, entered the NFL successful 2018, helium ranks 5th among moving backs successful receiving yards (1,725). This play the fourth-round prime retired of NC State has 25 receptions for 188 yards connected a struggling Colts discourtesy that saw backmost Matt Ryan benched for Sam Ehlinger.

Hines besides has the imaginable to lend arsenic a punt returner for the Bills, an country wherever the squad lacks extent aft wide receiver Jamison Crowder's injury. Hines has returned 73 punts successful his NFL vocation and has 2 punt instrumentality touchdowns. He has averaged 11.8 yards per instrumentality successful his career. The Bills are averaging 10.3 yards per punt return.

Hines, sources said earlier the deadline, welcomed a imaginable commercialized -- particularly to a squad similar the Bills with a high-powered offense.

He signed a three-year, $18.6 cardinal declaration earlier the 2021 play and figured to stay a centerpiece of the Colts' offense. Instead, helium went connected to station vocation lows successful receptions (40) and targets (57) past season. Additionally, his carries dropped by 33 from 89 successful 2020 to 56 past season.

So acold successful 2022, he's playing conscionable 30% of violative snaps -- a vocation low. And with the Colts' monolithic struggles connected the violative line, moving lanes person been nonexistent. Hines is averaging 2 yards per transportation connected 18 carries.

With the Colts' discourtesy falling isolated -- the squad past week benched Ryan and connected Tuesday fired violative coordinator Marcus Brady -- the antecedently stated plans to impact Hines much extensively successful the Indianapolis discourtesy ne'er genuinely panned retired and took a backmost spot to different priorities.

In Buffalo, Hines volition beryllium joining a moving backmost country that includes Cook and Devin Singletary, who leads the squad successful rushing yards (323) and attempts (71). Singletary besides has the second-most receptions connected the squad (23) and has averaged 8 yards per reception this season, but his relation going guardant should beryllium much focused connected the crushed crippled with the summation of Hines.

Moss has go expendable for the Bills acknowledgment to the different threats connected the discourtesy and needed contributors connected peculiar teams. The 2020 third-round prime was a steadfast scratch for the team's crippled against the Kansas City Chiefs and did not play a drawback against the Packers.

In different moves Tuesday, the Bills acquired information Dean Marlowe from the Atlanta Falcons for a 2023 seventh-round prime and officially activated cornerback Tre'Davious White from the physically incapable to execute list.

Marlowe was with the Bills 2018-20 aft starting his vocation with the Carolina Panthers, with now-Bills manager Sean McDermott arsenic his antiaircraft coordinator. The Bills person needed extent astatine information since Micah Hyde suffered a season-ending cervix wounded successful Week 2. Safety Jordan Poyer near the team's Week 8 triumph implicit the Green Bay Packers with an elbow injury.

The Bills besides reinstated cornerback Xavier Rhodes to the signifier squad, released antiaircraft tackle Brandin Bryant and wide receiver Isaiah Hodgins from the progressive roster, and released cornerback Jordan Miller from the signifier squad.