Running back and returner Nyheim Hines hasn’t played a down of football since the 2022 postseason, but now recovered from a jet ski accident that caused him to miss two seasons, the 28-year-old is ready to get back and prove his value on a team. The free agent, who has played for the Indianapolis Colts and Buffalo Bills, was on jet ski and was hit by another person riding, tearing his ACL.
For Hines, 2025 is the time for a comeback.
“I’m far from done, and the story is in my hand,” Hines said, via The Charlotte Observer. “I put myself in this position, but as athletes, we’re in an unfortunate situation in a job … that we can’t control everything, but the pen is always in our hand, based on our performance. So, I’m looking forward to the opportunity to grab that pen and write whatever story I want.”
Hines, who is still looking for a team, says he’s worked out with the Cleveland Browns, Colts and Houston Texans, and still awaits an offer. He believes his health is where it was before the injury.
“I’m back just about to where I was, I believe,” Hines said on SiriusXM NFL Radio. “I’ve already ran 22.8 miles per hour, 23 miles an hour the last year, and it’s just been about the cutting. I finally got my explosiveness back, I’ve been cutting well.”
He’s not looking to be the star of an offense, but rather contribute in any way he can to help whatever his next team is.
“I don’t need a lot of touches. I would like some touches at times, but I just want the opportunity. Just put me in space, and throughout my career we’ve seen what I’ve done with a little bit of space,” Hines said on SiriusXM NFL Radio. “With that being said, you have to get a pass-catching running back, you have to get a running back that can run between tackles, and you have to get a kick and punt returner.”
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Hines makes his case to any interested team, adding, “I’m all four of those things in one person, and I’m healthy and ready to go.”
The NC State alum was traded to the Browns in the offseason heading into the 2024 season and wasn’t able to take a snap with the team. He was released in February 2025.
While he wasn’t able to play during his time in Cleveland, he did form a friendship with running back Nick Chubb, who has also dealt with significant injuries.
“I would say my biggest inspiration is Nick Chubb,” Hines told The Charlotte Observer. “I met him month eight of my surgery [recovery] when I signed in April [2024]. We did everything together. And he came off a catastrophic injury before this, so I leaned on him a lot.”
In his last full season of play, spending part of 2022 with the Colts before being traded to the Bills, he finished with 24 carries, 33 yards and one touchdown. In his five-year career, he has played in 81 games, with 306 carries, 1,202 yards and 10 touchdowns.