Former Colts fan favorite RB Nyheim Hines heading to free agency

Veterans across the NFL continue to learn their fates with their current teams ahead of free agency. And a former Indianapolis Colts fan favorite is being released by the Buffalo Bills. The Colts drafted Nyheim Hines with the 104th pick in the 4th round of the 2018 NFL Draft. Hines spent his first four and […]

Destin Adams — NFL News Writer

Mar 3, 2024 5:00 PM EST

The Bills' Nyheim Hines breaks a tackle by New England s Jahlani Tavai on this 101-yard kickoff return. It was Hines' second kickoff return for a touchdown in the 35-23 Buffalo win. — JAMIE GERMANO/ROCHESTER DEMOCRAT AND CHRONICLE / USA TODAY NETWORK

Veterans across the NFL continue to learn their fates with their current teams ahead of free agency.

And a former Indianapolis Colts fan favorite is being released by the Buffalo Bills.

Bills plan to release RB/RS Nyheim Hines this week, per source. Hines most likely will be back for training camp from the ACL injury that he suffered last summer, per source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 3, 2024

The Colts drafted Nyheim Hines with the 104th pick in the 4th round of the 2018 NFL Draft. Hines spent his first four and half seasons with the Colts before being traded to the Bills during the 2022 season. During his time with the Colts, Hines appeared in 81 games and recorded 1,205 rushing yards and 10 rushing touchdowns. And in the receiving game contributed 1,725 receiving yards and eight touchdowns.

Sadly, his stint with the Bills wouldn't be as successful. He finished 2022 with the team, but a freak injury involving a jet ski collision caused Hines to miss all of 2023 on IR. So he would only spend nine games with the Bills, where he had negative three rushing yards, 53 receiving yards, and one touchdown. His most impactful role with the Bills was as a returner, where he turned his 19-kick returns into 554 yards and two touchdowns.

During Hines' time with the Colts, fans gravitated towards the outgoing RB, who always had a big smile on his face. The Colts don't have a clear option to be their pass-catching back next season, which will likely have fans begging for Hines to return to Indianapolis in free agency. Hines requested his trade out of Indianapolis, which makes his return seem unlikely. But who knows, maybe he found out the grass isn't always greener after a trade.