The Indianapolis Colts might not be the most glamorous of teams, but there is no reason for the big networks to poke fun when there is no reason to. That is exactly what ESPN did recently, though, in an article predicting 100 things that will happen in the 2026 season.
"One player will end this season with exactly 100 rushing yards," wrote the ESPN staffers, "and it will be... Colts running back DJ Giddens. Thanks for reading."
Their ellipses were overkill, overly dramatic, and unneeded. So was the rest. The truth is that the Colts need much more from Giddens this coming season than to rush for 100 yards. He is expected to be RB2 to Jonathan Taylor, and Taylor needs to get more rest this year than last.
ESPN goes out of its way to disrespect the Indianapolis Colts and DJ Giddens
By the second half of the season, because of a myriad of reasons, Taylor was far less effective than he was in the first half of the year. Keeping one of the best running backs in the league fresh for the second half of a make-or-break season for Indianapolis is a must. Giddens can help do that.
Indianapolis chose Seth McGowan in the 2026 NFL draft, but make no mistake that Giddens is the clear RB2. He has good size at 6 feet and 215 pounds, and he can pick up the dirty yards to keep the chains moving. He should also get more chances than he did last season, which happened to be his rookie year.
In fact, if Giddens finishes with exactly 100 yards (which, to be fair, ESPN only added as an afterthought, a true indication that the Indianapolis Colts are simply an afterthought to the four-letter website), then head coach Shane Steichen has done a disservice to his team. Jonathan Taylor has to be the featured back, sure, but DJ Giddens needs a lot of reps, too.
Not because Giddens is capable of being an All-Pro, though, who knows...maybe he is, but because Taylor must get more rest in the first part of the season to help make sure the Colts don't finish by losing their final seven games.
While blowing out the Miami Dolphins in Week 1 last season, Giddens got 12 carries. He got only 14 more the rest of the season. Taylor averaged more carries after Week 10, partly due to the injury to quarterback Daniel Jones, but didn't have more than 87 yards rushing after Week 12.
Jonathan Taylor is great, but the Indianapolis Colts need to give DJ Giddens a chance to step up in 2026. Instead of finishing with 100 yards rushing next season, he should get closer to 300 or more.
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