Ulysses Bentley Iv

Career StatsD

Year	Team	GP	Yards	TD	YPC
Career		1	—	—	—
2025		1	0	0	0.0

Updated May 20, 2026

Current Contract

Contract Value Index (CVI)

Ulysses Bentley IV's contract earns a C- Contract Value Index, with the AAV sitting where the comparable-tier depth-back deals tend to settle. At $885K annually, he's operating on a practice-squad-adjacent salary that reflects his actual NFL footprint: one game of action in 2025, a pair of touchdown highlights against Cincinnati, and a roster role contingent entirely on injuries ahead of him. The CVI grade acknowledges that this is exactly the right price point for a 25-year-old in his rookie season with minimal proven production—the contract isn't a overpay, but it's also not capturing exceptional value, because there's next to nothing to price yet. His D performance grade tells the real story: limited touches, situational deployment, and zero indication that he's tracking toward meaningful snap share in a healthy backfield. Indianapolis's recent offensive line and secondary additions suggest the front office is building around stability rather than betting on unproven depth pieces, which further cements Bentley IV's ceiling as a low-risk emergency option rather than a contributor in any credible depth chart projection. The Contract Value Index reflects the market being honest about what he is—a name you'll remember if he gets another shot, not a piece you're banking on.

Contracts in the Same Value Band

Other same-position deals the Contract Value Index also places in the C band — a quick read on where Ulysses's contract sits relative to comparable money.

Performance Analysis

Among running backs on the Indianapolis Colts, Ulysses Bentley IV's output grades to a D performance level. In his 2025 season, Bentley IV appeared in just one game, which immediately frames him as a depth-chart afterthought rather than a meaningful contributor to the offense. The lone bright spot came in that single contest against Cincinnati, where he found the end zone twice — a 12-yard touchdown run and a 2-yard goal-line dive — giving him a highlight reel that far exceeds his actual NFL resume. Beyond those two scores, there is little else to evaluate; his production remains confined to a single-game sample with minimal volume, making any reliable assessment of his core running skills impossible. As a rookie-season elevation from the practice squad, Bentley IV fits the exact low-risk depth mold the media has framed him as — useful only if injuries create opportunity ahead of him on the roster. The recent signing of running back Anderson Castle and the release of Jordon Vaughn suggest the Colts' front office is still searching for answers at the position, and Bentley IV will need sustained opportunity and healthier volume to prove he belongs in that conversation. For now, he remains a name you'll remember long after you've forgotten his on-field impact.

How Ulysses Compares at the Position

Ulysses Bentley Iv ranks 152nd of 175 graded running backs by performance. That slots Ulysses between British Brooks (D) just ahead and Dare Ogunbowale (D) just behind.

Fan Sentiment

Ulysses Bentley IV's public perception sits at a solid B — warmly received given the circumstances, though the warmth is driven as much by his memorably distinctive name as by anything he's done on the field. Media coverage has been deliberately light, amounting to a handful of roster previews and a couple of highlight clips rather than any deep analytical engagement, which frames him almost exclusively as a low-risk depth addition who could carve out a situational role if the depth chart opens up ahead of him. That framing is honest: his D+ performance grade tells the real story, with just one game of NFL action on his 2025 resume, making any positive sentiment more about potential than proven production. The two touchdown highlights against Cincinnati — a 12-yard scamper and a goal-line dive — represent essentially the entire case file analysts have to work with, and while they generated some fan enthusiasm, the consensus stops well short of projecting him as a legitimate contributor in a healthy backfield. His elevation off the practice squad following an injury-driven roster move is the exact scenario the media identified as his path to relevance, and it materialized briefly before the depth chart reshuffled. With Indianapolis sitting at 8-9 and the Colts offense still over 100 days from the 2026 regular season, the narrative around Bentley IV is less about momentum and more about quiet roster survival — a name you'll remember if he gets another shot, and forget if he doesn't.