The Indianapolis Colts have one of the best running backs in the league in Jonathan Taylor. He played in 14 games with 303 carries for 1,431 yards and 11 touchdowns. He’s put up over 6,000 career rushing yards in five seasons, and his ability to handle a heavy workload makes him one of the more reliable backs in the league.
It’s his backups that the Colts had to worry about. Trey Sermon and Tyler Goodson served as Taylor’s understudies and underwhelmed, producing only 159 and 153 rushing yards, respectively. Sermon is no longer with the Colts and is looking to latch on as a free agent, while Goodson signed a contract extension, but is not guaranteed a roster spot. He will need a strong performance in training camp to stay on board.
That means the Colts needed to do some work on giving themselves some insurance against anything happening to Taylor and providing him with breathers.
How Did the Colts Address Their Running Back Room?
PFSN’s Sterling Xie breaks down the Colts’ running back room and suggests that a veteran signing may or may not make the final cut.
“The Indianapolis Colts didn’t have an adequate backup running back situation in 2024. Now, however, the Colts have a far deeper backfield behind Jonathan Taylor after signing Khalil Herbert in free agency and taking an intriguing upside swing on Kansas State running back D.J. Giddens in the fifth round.”
“Giddens was a Day 2 talent who fell in part because the running back crop was so deep this year. He was highly productive as a two-year starter at Kansas State, piling up 2,569 rushing yards and 581 receiving yards over the past two seasons. Although he needs to get stronger and improve in pass protection, Giddens looks like a high-upside complement to Taylor.”
“That makes for an interesting training camp battle with the veteran Herbert. Although Herbert has more experience, he struggled between the Bears and Bengals last year, averaging 3.6 yards per carry. On a cheap one-year deal, Herbert shouldn’t feel secure as Taylor’s backup with Giddens’ arrival.”
Herbert’s presence gives the Colts a veteran change-of-pace option, but he’s never been the starter for a full season. His career has been as a depth back, evidenced by his career total of 1,905 rushing yards since entering the league as a sixth-round pick in 2021.
Herbert’s best year was 2022. He was the Chicago Bears’ main backup and rushed for 731 yards on 129 carries (5.7 YPC) and four touchdowns. He entered 2023 as the Bears’ starting running back, but fought the injury bug and saw his numbers dip to 611 rushing yards on 132 carries (4.6 YPC).
By 2024, he was on his way out of Chicago after they acquired D’Andre Swift and saw 2023 fourth-round pick Roschon Johnson take over more of the backup role.
Giddens is 6’0”, and 212 pounds and has a nice mix of size and speed. He ran a 4.43 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine and has good vision, agility, and the ability to make defenders miss in open space. He ran for over 3,000 and scored 27 touchdowns during his time at Kansas State and flashed athleticism and big play potential. In 2024 he had a school-record 6.6 yards per carry.
It’s not a certainty that the Colts will choose Giddens over Herbert, though. If both players show out well, they could find themselves on the roster. However, if Herbert performs strongly in camp and the preseason and another team falls into needing a back, he could find himself becoming trade bait.
