The Indianapolis Colts hope to have a different plan for running back Jonathan Taylor in 2026. The team doesn't want to overuse him, keeping him fresher for late in the season and, fingers crossed, the playoffs. But to have that plan work well, another running back needs to prove they can pick up the slack.
Entering training camp, one might have assumed that second-year pro DJ Giddens was Taylor's immediate backup. That might be changing, however. So far in camp, rookie Seth McGowan has been a star.
He certainly looks the part. He is a little over 6 feet tall and weighs 225 pounds. Most of that weight is muscle, though. This means that McGowan isn't going to go down easily, but should be able to grind out the tough yards, though he has sneaky-good athleticism as well. The seventh-round pick is looking like a steal already, and he hasn't yet played a real down in the NFL.
Seth McGowan is an early training camp star for the Indianapolis Colts
McGowan appears to be getting a bit better as training camp unfolds, too. In the first few days, he struggled with drops when the ball was thrown his way (unfortunately, so did Giddens), but he has flashed the ability to catch-and-run in more recent practices.
Maybe most importantly for Indy's RB2 spot, McGowan looks good in pass protection. If a running back can't block, they aren't going to play much. Sure, they need to pick up first downs on the ground and efficiently carry the ball, but if they let quarterback Daniel Jones get hit too much, they must lose reps.
That hasn't been an issue for McGowan so far, possibly because he's built like a train. He has the natural power and strength to keep edge rushers away from his QB, and this alone might be enough to help the Kentucky product beat out Giddens, who is possibly the more explosive back but smaller, for snaps.
Seth McGowan might have fallen to the Indianapolis Colts in the seventh round this year not because of his lack of ability to play football, but because of a legal matter he had early in college when he was still at Oklahoma. He admittedly made a mistake, but he has tried to change the narrative about him since.
That could inspire a player to perform well in the NFL, but also be a good human being away from the sport. McGowan still needs to prove he can be both (most importantly, a good person) and good at his job and life, but proof of excellence at his job might come first.
Update: Jonathan Taylor appears to be a fan of McGowan's too. After practice on Tuesday, Taylor said of McGowan, "Everybody thinks he's just like a big power back, but Seth has some moves. If you look at his feet, he reminds me of like a David Montgomery...Seth has great feet."
Add us as a preferred source on Google