Giddens didn’t develop as quickly as IND hoped

With Tyler Goodson gone, Giddens is the incumbent and has the higher draft capital, so we’re surprised to see a beat writer giving some leeway to the idea that McGowan could be the backup right away. Neither player figures to play much without a Jonathan Taylor injury, but they could be interesting contingency holds in deeper leagues.

McGowan was a four-star recruit coming out of high school. He saw work as a backup for Oklahoma in 2020. After his freshman season, McGowan was arrested on charges of robbery, conspiracy to commit robbery, and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon. He eventually pleaded guilty to a felony charge of larceny of a person at nighttime. McGowan was kicked off the team and ultimately spent three months in jail, followed by a year-long probation. He returned to football at the JUCO level for two seasons before landing on New Mexico State’s roster in 2024, where he ran for 823 yards and three scores. McGowan then transferred to Kentucky and posted a 165-725-12 rushing line. He punctuated his draft profile with a 4.49 40 and strong burst measurables at 6’/223. McGowan is a decisive runner who shows great anticipation when choosing his lanes. On the other hand, he is an average receiver who needs to improve in pass-pro, even if a third-round role isn’t in his future. Fumbles were also an issue, as he coughed the ball up six times across his three seasons of limited FBS action. McGowan ultimately looks like a developmental backup for an NFL team.

That can change if the Colts select a ballyhooed running back in the 2026 NFL Draft, but at this time, Taylor looks like he should handle another RB1-worthy workload next season. Taylor’s 369 offensive touches in 2025 rank second at the position and he is one among just 10 NFL running backs to clear 300 offensive touches during the regular season. He logged 321 in 2024. No. 2 RB DJ Giddens touched the ball 18 times last season and therefore enters 2026 as an unknown. If Taylor can again remain largely healthy next season, he has decent odds of surpassing 300 touches again.

It was the first time Giddens saw any real work since Week 1, where he spelled Jonathan Taylor late in a blowout win over the Dolphins. With Tyler Goodson (one carry, three yards) set to become a restricted free agent in 2026, Giddens will enter the offseason No. 2 on the depth chart. He hasn’t shown much so far, but how could he? He had only 18 carries all season before this game as Taylor stayed incredibly healthy, and those 18 carries were the most among Indy’s backup runners.

Gardner and Lewis were ruled out on Friday. Everyone else is a healthy scratch. Giddens has fallen behind a now-healthy Tyler Goodson in the battle to be the caddy that Jonathan Taylor doesn’t actually have.

No surprises here as the Colts didn’t have anyone listed as questionable heading into the weekend. Giddens remains a healthy scratch. Tyler Goodson will continue to back up Jonathan Taylor.

The Colts’ notable injury-related absence is defensive tackle DeForest Buckner. He was placed on injured reserve earlier this week. DJ Giddens remains a healthy scratch for this game.

DJ Giddens had already seemingly fallen behind Ameer Abdullah, but with Tyler Goodson returning from injury, it appears that Giddens is now the fourth running back on the depth chart in Indianapolis. He can be dropped in all redraft fantasy formats.

This game remained close from start to finish, so the Colts never had a clear opportunity to get their backup rookie running back a few touches. Giddens did not rush the ball even once. On the plus side, fellow backup Tyler Goodson (elbow) was inactive for this one, suggesting Giddens is ahead of him on the depth chart at this time.

Latu is sidelined by a hamstring injury and Ward failed to clear the NFL’s concussion protocol. Both absences should make life easier on the Broncos’ passing offense. Goodson is rehabbing an elbow injury that kept him sidelined in Week 1. He practiced in a limited capacity on Wednesday and Thursday before practicing in full on Friday, which seemingly put him on track to play. His inactive status suggests rookie RB DJ Giddens has already sewn up the No. 2 running back role behind Jonathan Taylor.