Colts' Rookie RB Receives Early Praise From Jonathan Taylor

The Indianapolis Colts enter summer break with an opening at the backup running back spot directly behind superstar running back and leader Jonathan Taylor.

Outside of Shane Steichen's first season as head coach in 2023, which saw veteran running back Zack Moss fill in nicely for Taylor, the Colts have not had much luck with their reserve options.

They did draft DJ Giddens in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft, but after an uninspired rookie campaign, it was evident they'd be adding to the room this offseason.

As expected, the Colts have added another running back to the mix, but it was not a veteran. Instead, they elected to wait until the final round of the 2026 NFL Draft to select Kentucky's Seth McGowan.

McGowan's First NFL Spring

The Colts exited the draft and are now entering the summer moratorium period with McGowan, Giddens, and 2025 UDFA Ulysses Bentley IV as the reserve options behind Taylor.

While none of the three have quite separated as the leader of the RB2 race, Jonathan Taylor has taken notice of Seth McGowan's football IQ and veteran savviness during their short time together.

"Because a lot of times when you come in, you know, as a rookie, there's almost like a built-in set of, hey, he may have a couple, you know, mental errors. You know, you're learning the offense. He's had very minimal, like, if any. So that lets me know he's a smart guy. He can grasp concepts, which is going to only help him, especially when training camp comes and things are going full speed."

While the Colts' rookies and veterans shared the practice field for the first time during OTAs in late May, it wasn't until their mandatory minicamp last week that McGowan and Jonathan Taylor were practicing together.

Taylor skipped out on the Colts' OTAs period, given that it was voluntary; therefore, the aforementioned minicamp was the first opportunity for Taylor to get a sneak peek at his running back room, and good news is that McGowan impressed in the short three-day period.

How McGowan Can Earn RB2 Role As A Rookie

So far, the spring slate of practices has served as a worthwhile introduction to the league for Seth McGowan, but until the pads come on during training camp later this summer, the Colts' RB2 role remains up for grabs.

The good news for McGowan, though, is that he's off to a fast start in proving to his coaches and teammates that he can become a day-one contributor.

McGowan will be a 25 year old rookie by Week 7 of the 2026-27 regular season, which is a reason why he fell in the draft, but his overall experience will be what sets him apart.

Head coach Shane Steichen recently explained what he's looking for in a backup running back and also revealed how rookies can earn playing time, and his answer(s) directly relate to what Jonathan Taylor praised McGowan for.

“I think it's understanding the playbook. I think that's a big part of it," Steichen explained how rookies can carve out playing time in year one.

"Fundamentals and details are a big part of it, but you got to know what to do. Obviously as a rookie, going out there, there's a lot of things, a lot of moving parts, but they’ve got to understand our systems and how we operate within the systems to be out there to go make plays because if you don't know what to do, it's going to be hard to go make plays.”

Having a strong understanding of the playbook is first and foremost the top priority for any rookie, not just as far as year one is concerned, but also regarding their future development, but backup running backs in particular need to excel at the areas outside of just rushing the football.

“I mean, third downs in this league, you’ve got a whole bunch of stuff coming at you that you’ve got to be prepared for and you prep for each and every week, but obviously the back's got to be a huge part of that in protection," Steichen said regarding third-down importance (i.e., pass protection and pass-catching) for running backs.

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