Colts: Why signing Dan ‘Boom’ Herron was the right move

The Indianapolis Colts now have the most complete and talented backfield in years after bringing Daniel “Boom” Herron back into the fold.

The Colts backfield now consists of three solid veterans – Frank Gore, Ahmad Bradshaw and Dan Herron – who have all excelled in starting roles for the Colts in the past two seasons. The Colts signing of Dan Herron may have flown under the radar for most of you as the news broke during most family Thanksgiving festivities. This move gives the Colts the most talented and complete backfield in years.

Herron was cut just before the regular season with a shoulder injury that left him out of commission for four weeks. He was tagged as IR/waived and released with an injury settlement so that he could remain active once he recovered from injury.

The Bills signed Herron and he was active for four games before being waived this week. While with Buffalo Herron was basically a stop-gap while LeSean McCoy rested his hamstring and Karlos Williams recovered from a concussion.

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With Herron, the Colts backfield is now complete. Consider this take Frank Gore’s power running style, add Ahmad Bradshaw’s hands out of the backfield and his various bring carries and now Boom Herron is the change of pace. Admittedly, Herron is no scat back like Darren Sproles or Danny Woodhead, but he is strong enough to run between the tackle and can break one outside for chunk yards.

Perhaps the monster the Colts have been building in Indianapolis is a three-headed monster in the backfield. Gore and Bradshaw have already begun to split their carries as shown last week against Atlanta. Add Dan Herron, who averaged 4.5 yards-per-attempt in 2014 and you have the last piece for a triple-threat backfield attack.

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This three-headed monster could not have come at a better time. Consider this, with starting left tackle, Anthony Castanzo out week-to-week with an MCL sprain and Matt Hasselbeck under center for an ailing Andrew Luck, the Colts needed a complete rushing attack. If the Colts want to keep Hasselbeck upright and continue winning in a suddenly competitive AFC South, they will have to force their opponents to respect the run.

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Now that there are three solid running backs on the roster, it is possible that this is the first sign of what offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski wants to do with the Colts offense. The Colts have a backfield stable of backs that are very capable of becoming a successful by-committee group.

Perhaps the Colts claiming Herron was only an insurance policy for the end of season run, but a running back-by-committee approach would keep the legs of Gore and Bradshaw fresher for the final stretch heading into the playoffs.

Zurlon Tipton was waived by the Colts to make room for Herron on the roster. Unfortunately for Tipton, his role in the offense completely faded away once Bradshaw was signed. With rookie Josh Robinson already on the practice squad, it was time to solidify the running back position before the playoffs. Tipton unfortunately could not produce enough on the field and now will look to clear waivers to be retained on the practice squad.

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