INDIANAPOLIS — Jordan Todman provided perhaps the top highlight of the season for the Indianapolis Colts in 2016.
Now he'll hope to do the same for another AFC team.
The veteran running back and kick returner is expected to sign with the New York Jets, ESPN’s Adam Caplan reported Monday.
Todman played just one season with the Colts, and was one of four primary running backs on the roster throughout 2016, joining starter Frank Gore, backup Robert Turbin and then-rookie Josh Ferguson.
Though Gore and Turbin got a lion's share of the action with the offense throughout the season, Todman took on a role as the team's primary kick returner early in the year when Quan Bray was placed on injured reserve with an ankle injury. The Colts would end up finishing the season with the league's fourth-best kickoff return average (25.1 yards per return).
He sparked perhaps the best victory of the year for Indianapolis Week 9 against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field, when he returned the opening kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown. He would later return another kickoff 61 yards and earned AFC Special Teams Player of the Week honors for his efforts.
But despite Todman's big-play ability, he hit free agency this offseason likely with the desire to get more involved in a team's offense — something that probably wasn't going to happen in Indy yet again in 2017, which already had Gore and Ferguson returning, and then re-signed Turbin in March.
Then, in April's NFL Draft, the team selected running back Marlon Mack in the fourth round. Those factors, coupled with the return of Bray at returner this season, meant there probably wouldn't be room for Todman on this year's roster.
The Jets last season finished 12th in the NFL in rushing offense at 112.6 yards per game, thanks in large part to the duo of Matt Forté (218 carries for 813 yards) and Bilal Powell (131 carries for 722 yards), who combined for 1,535 rushing yards on the year.
Both Forté and Powell return for the Jets in 2017, and the team also currently has Romar Morris, Brandon Wilds and Elijah McGuire listed at the running back position this offseason.
The Jets finished in the middle of the pack, 15th, in kick return average last season (21.9 yards per return), with wide receiver Jalin Marshall among the league leaders with a 24.9 yards-per-return average. Todman had a 29.9 yards per return average in 2016, to go along with nine carries for 59 yards.
In his NFL career — which includes 60 career games played with the Jacksonville Jaguars, Pittsburgh Steelers and Colts — Todman has ran the ball 124 times for 531 yards (4.3 yards per carry) and three touchdowns, to go along with 40 catches for 314 yards and two receiving touchdowns.
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