Jonathan Taylor will lead the way at running back for the Indianapolis Colts, but the backup role behind him is up for grabs.
Competing for those snaps are DJ Giddens and Seth McGown, both of whom have little to no NFL experience.
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Giddens played only 70 snaps as a rookie and was often inactive due to his lack of special teams contributions and needing to grow in pass protection. McGowan, meanwhile, is an incoming rookie.
That said, coming out of minicamp, Jake Arthur of Roundtable Sports notes that there are “encouraging” signs that the Colts will be just fine at the backup running back position.
“This offseason, Giddens looks much more comfortable and decisive, and rookie seventh-round pick Seth McGowan is running with 100% effort,” Arthur wrote. “No one can compare with Taylor, but if either Giddens or McGowan proves capable in pass protection and/or on special teams, the Colts might already have a real backup on the roster.”
As Arthur mentioned, the deciding factor in who is RB2 may not be how each back performs as a ball carrier. Rather, how they hold up in pass protection and their ability to contribute on special teams could be differentiators, given that is where the bulk of their snaps will come from.
Taylor was third among all backs in rush attempts last season, and there is no reason to think that he won’t again be relied on heavily.
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During minicamp, Shane Steichen weighed in on Giddens’ growth from Year 1 to Year 2 and the stat of the backup running back competition.
This article originally appeared on Colts Wire: Encouraging signs from Colts’ backup running back competition
