Jonathan Taylor should have no worries about the Indianapolis Colts' recent running back roster moves. In fact, the only player who should be concerned is Jordon Vaughn. He was released to make room for another undrafted free agent, Anderson Castle.
Castle was added to the roster on Monday after going undrafted this year. His college career was a bit interesting, though. He doesn't have high-end speed, though he has decent size at 6-feet and 215 pounds, but he didn't get a lot of carries in his years at Appalachian State and one season at Duke.
It is what he did with those rushes that matters, at least as far as his 2025 season. He rushed a college career-high 115 times for 488 yards, but he scored 12 times. In other words, 10.4 percent of the time Duke handed the ball to the running back, it ended in a touchdown.
Indianapolis Colts pick up UDFA running back Anderson Castle
This implies that general manager Chris Ballard might be viewing the running back as a short-yardage specialist, especially near the goal line. Jonathan Taylor would likely get those kinds of rushes, but a team needs depth, and maybe Castle provides that.
He will obviously need to be a standout on special teams to make the active 53-man roster before Week 1, but his drive to score probably translates to all parts of his game. He doesn't want to be stopped from accomplishing a goal.
He isn't a threat to return kickoffs or punts, either, though he could be a gunner. His value might not lie in him rushing for 1,000 yards ever, but in being the kind of glue guy that every team needs to succeed. Quarterback Daniel Jones probably likes the move too, as both players spent at least part of their time in college with the Blue Devils.
Anderson Castle should certainly be emotionally mature enough to play in the NFL. He will turn 25 years old late in the 2026 season. He spent six years in college, with five coming at Appy State.
Again, the chance of Castle making the Indianapolis Colts' roster isn't great. He might not even make it to training camp, but sometimes players have a way of finding their niche on a team when no one expected them to.
As the running back proved at Duke, he will make the most out of his limited opportunities. Perhaps he even scores a rushing touchdown or three for the Colts in his career.
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