{"id":49607,"date":"2025-05-14T14:35:11","date_gmt":"2025-05-14T14:35:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/49607\/"},"modified":"2025-05-14T14:35:11","modified_gmt":"2025-05-14T14:35:11","slug":"who-will-be-the-colts-backup-running-back-in-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/49607\/","title":{"rendered":"Who Will Be the Colts Backup Running Back in 2025?"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Indianapolis Colts recently lost one of their hopefuls for the backup running back spot<\/a> in 2025. According to NFL Insider, Jordan Schultz<\/a>, Trey Sermon<\/a> has signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers<\/a>. This move does not come as a shock because Sermon was a free agent and has been a mediocre, at best<\/a>, backup running back for the Colts the last two seasons.<\/p>\n

Now that Sermon has moved on, other guys will have an opportunity to step up and be a key factor in the Colts running game. Shane Steichen<\/a>\u2018s philosophy as a coach is to \u201cThrow to score points and run to win<\/a>\u201c. Therefore, the running game is the heartbeat of this Colts team. In 2024, the team ranked<\/a> in the top 10 in several major rushing categories. They ranked ninth in yards per rush, eighth in rushes per game, and eighth in rush yards per game. Needless to say, the Colts will be heavily relying on their star running back, Jonathan Taylor<\/a>, and will need his backup to be reliable. Essentially, the offense cannot miss a beat if Taylor is not on the field. The Colts currently have three backup running backs<\/a> who will compete in 2025.<\/p>\n

The Colts Need a Reliable Backup Running Back
\nDJ Giddens<\/p>\n

The Colts drafted DJ Giddens<\/a> in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft. Giddens played college for the Kansas State Wildcats and will look to make an impact on the Colts offense<\/a>. In the last two combined seasons<\/a> of college, Giddens posted 2500 yards rushing and 17 touchdowns. In 2024 alone, he averaged 111.9 yards per game on a 6.6 rushing average. He was also productive in the passing game with 21 receptions for 258 yards. According to his Combine analysis<\/a>, his big weaknesses include blocking and overall quickness. While Giddens might not be a day one backup running back, he could blossom into an impact player for the Colts offense.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Tyler Goodson<\/p>\n

Tyler Goodson<\/a> is going into his third season with the Colts and is looking for a splash. In 2024, he saw substantial action (relative to his rookie year) on the field and got 153 yards on the ground and 61 yards in the air. He also recorded his first touchdowns, one was on the ground and one was in the air. Goodson has a good shot<\/a> to be the long-term backup running back for the Colts in 2025. However, his lack of consistency is still in question. Year three will be a big test for him to see if he can take that next step. In his rookie year in 2023, he spent the vast majority of the season on the bench. In 2024, he was active in 16 games. Time will tell what 2025 holds for him.<\/p>\n

\"\"Oct 20, 2024; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson (5) hands the ball off to Indianapolis Colts running back Tyler Goodson (31) during the second half against the Miami Dolphins at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images
\nKhalil Herbert<\/p>\n

The Colts acquired Khalil Herbert<\/a> from the Cincinnati Bengals<\/a> during this year\u2019s free agency. Herbert is a veteran running back going into his fifth year as a career backup. In four years, he has accumulated 1,905 yards on the ground, nine touchdowns, and a 4.8 career rushing average. Herbert is probably the favorite to be the Colts backup running back as he has the experience and production. He is not as flashy as Goodson in the passing game, but could be a reliable resource when Taylor is off the field.<\/p>\n

Whether the Colts decide to utilize Herbert to his fullest extent or rotate Goodson and Giddens, the Colts have three backs who can be viable options. The offense relies heavily on the running game, and the Colts have done a good job of getting backup playmakers.<\/p>\n

Main Photo Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Indianapolis Colts recently lost one of their hopefuls for the backup running back spot in 2025. According…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":49608,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2059],"tags":[2005,2045,7,2004,392,2381,4976,6,7499],"class_list":{"0":"post-49607","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-indianapolis-colts","8":"tag-colts","9":"tag-dj-giddens","10":"tag-football","11":"tag-indianapolis","12":"tag-indianapolis-colts","13":"tag-indianapoliscolts","14":"tag-khalil-herbert","15":"tag-nfl","16":"tag-tyler-goodson"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/114506690018602726","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49607","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=49607"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49607\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/49608"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=49607"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=49607"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=49607"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}