DJ Giddens - NFL News, Rumors, & Updates

Unavailable for Week 2 Giddens (knee) is inactive for Sunday night's matchup with the Chiefs.

Impact Giddens was inactive Week 1 as a healthy scratch, and he will now be forced to miss the team's second contest of the year as he nurses an apparent knee injury. In his absence, Seth McGowan will operate as the team's primary reserve option behind starting running back Jonathan Taylor versus Kansas City.

2 DAYS AGO • ROTOWIRE

Questionable versus Baltimore Giddens (knee) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Chiefs.

Impact Giddens was a healthy scratch for the 41-23 loss to the Ravens in Week 1. He's now dealing with a knee injury, though he was able to practice in full Friday. With that in mind, even if Giddens is healthy, there's a chance he will be inactive. If he is active, he likely won't see much action.

3 DAYS AGO • ROTOWIRE

Dealing with knee issue Giddens (knee) did not participate at practice Thursday.

Impact Giddens was a healthy scratch in Week 1, so it seems he may have hurt his knee during practice Wednesday. He'll probably have to return to practice Friday to give himself a chance at suiting up Sunday at Kansas City.

5 DAYS AGO • ROTOWIRE

Healthy inactive for Week 1 Giddens (coach's decision) is inactive for Sunday's game against the Ravens.

Impact Giddens missed a big chunk of training camp and the preseason due to a hamstring injury, and he was passed on the depth chart by rookie Seth McGowan as the RB2 behind workhorse back Jonathan Taylor.

SEPTEMBER 13 • ROTOWIRE

Seth McGowan is looking like more than the Colts' biggest draft steal Indianapolis Colts rookie running back Seth McGowan is making a strong case to play a significant role behind Jonathan Taylor, even ahead of...

AUGUST 31 • HORSESHOEHEROES.COM

Finds end zone to close out preseason Giddens carried the ball twice for eight yards and a touchdown and caught his only target for eight yards in Saturday's 25-16 preseason loss to the Lions.

Impact The second-year back scored the Colts' only TD of the afternoon on a six-yard run in the second quarter, bouncing the ball outside the tackle and plowing through a couple defenders to hit paydirt. Giddens didn't make much of an impact as a rookie after being selected in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft out of Kansas State, but Indy seems content to let him continue his development behind Jonathan Taylor. Seth McGowan got the start in Saturday's preseason finale, however, and may have claimed the No. 2 spot on the depth chart.

AUGUST 29 • ROTOWIRE

Dobbs makes his case to be Goff's backup by taking Lions on 3 TD drives in 25-16 win over Colts

Josh Dobbs made his case to be Detroit’s top backup quarterback by throwing two touchdown passes and leading the Lions on a third scoring drive to lead the Lions past the Indianapo...

AUGUST 29 • Associated Press

HIGHLIGHTS | Giddens bulldozes to the end zone for a 6-yard TD Indianapolis Colts running back DJ Giddens bulldozes to the end zone for a 6-yard touchdown.

AUGUST 29 • COLTS.COM

Set to practice this week Giddens (hamstring) will practice this week, Mike Chappell of Fox 59 News Indianapolis reports.

Impact Giddens had been hampered by a hamstring issue for a good chunk of the preseason. He did not play in Indianapolis' most recent preseason game, either. Coach Shane Steichen provided an update on him Tuesday, indicating that Giddens will be back in the mix at practice as the team prepares to wrap up preseason. Still, time is running out for Giddens to establish himself on the depth chart behind Jonathan Taylor.

AUGUST 25 • ROTOWIRE

Back on practice field Wednesday Giddens (hamstring) participated in Wednesday's practice, Nathan Brown of The Indianapolis Star reports.

Impact Giddens was seeing some work with the first-team offense early in camp, but he's been battling a hamstring injury for a couple weeks now, and it's unclear how active he was in Wednesday's session despite being back in full pads and a helmet. Sixth-round rookie Seth McGowan has been a strong performer in practice this summer and is pushing Giddens in a big way for the RB2 job behind Jonathan Taylor. Giddens needs to get in some action over the final two preseason games.

AUGUST 19 • ROTOWIRE

Nursing hamstring injury Giddens did not participate in Sunday's training camp practice due to a hamstring injury, Kevin Bowen of 107.5 The Fan reports.

Impact It's unclear when Giddens tweaked his hamstring, but it jeopardizes his chances of participating in Tuesday's joint practice with the Patriots on Tuesday, as well as Thursday's preseason opener against New England. The 2025 fifth-rounder entered training camp as the RB2 behind Jonathan Taylor, so an extended absence for Giddens would free up reps for rookie sixth-rounder Seth McGowan and Ulysses Bentley.

AUGUST 9 • ROTOWIRE

Logs added reps Friday With Jonathan Taylor being rested, Giddens took more first-team reps at Friday's practice, James Boyd of The Athletic reports.

Impact Giddens is no threat to Taylor's status as the Colts' top back, but the 2025 fifth-rounder is competing with Seth McGowan for the No. 2 role. With that in mind, Boyd noted that Giddens has struggled a bit to catch the ball out of the backfield in team drills, but it's early on in training camp, and the Kansas State product has some time to clean that aspect of his game up. Whoever ends up being Taylor's top backup will hold minimal fantasy lineup appeal as long as he's healthy, but would be a must-add should Taylor miss time for any reason.

JULY 31 • ROTOWIRE

2-Minute Drill: The quest for depth behind Jonathan Taylor The Colts continue searching for a reliable complement to Jonathan Taylor, with DJ Giddens and rookie Seth McGowan making strong cases to ea...

JULY 30 • COLTS.COM

Competing for backup role After a quiet rookie season, Giddens will compete against Seth McGowan for the backup running back role behind Jonathan Taylor for the 2026 season, Paul Pretl of USA Today reports.

Impact Giddens was a fifth-round selection of the Colts in the 2025 NFL Draft. He finished his rookie year with 26 carries for 96 yards across nine regular-season games, though 20 of those touches came in Weeks 1 and 18. Per Bretl, Colts head coach Shane Steichen told reporters in early June that Giddens' growth and knowledge of the team's offensive scheme puts the latter ahead of McGowan for the RB2 job heading into training camp.

JUNE 28 • ROTOWIRE

Rookie Review: DJ Giddens View some of the top photos from running back DJ Giddens' rookie season with the Indianapolis Colts.

JANUARY 28 • COLTS.COM

2025 Colts Rookie Review: JT Tuimoloau, DJ Giddens show potential in limited opportunities Tuimoloau appeared in 12 games for a total of 215 defensive snaps.

JANUARY 28 • COLTS.COM

Concludes quiet rookie season Giddens rushed eight times for 30 yards in Sunday's 38-30 loss to the Texans. He finished the season with 26 rushes for 96 yards in nine appearances.

Impact Giddens's eight carries Sunday were his most in a contest since Week 1. The rookie running back barely saw the field in his first season in the NFL, as he was buried on the depth chart behind Jonathan Taylor, Ameer Abdullah and Tyler Goodson. Taylor handled the vast majority of the work out of the backfield, leaving very few opportunities for the backups in Indianapolis. The 25-year-old Goodson should continue to improve and get acclimated to the Colts' offense heading into his second season, and it's possible he could take on a bigger role as a backup behind Taylor with Abdullah and Goodson entering free agency this offseason.

JANUARY 7 • ROTOWIRE

Inactive for second straight Giddens (coach's decision) is inactive for Sunday's game against the Falcons in Berlin.

Impact Giddens will be in street clothes for the second straight game while the Colts go with Tyler Goodson and Ameer Abdullah as their backup options behind starting running back Jonathan Taylor. The rookie fifth-round pick out of Kansas State had suited up in each of Indianapolis' first eight games, carrying 18 times for 66 yards (3.7 average) while failing to record any receptions on two targets.

NOVEMBER 9, 2025 • ROTOWIRE

Inactive Sunday Giddens is inactive for Sunday's game against the Titans.

Impact With Giddens the odd man out in the Colts' Week 8 backfield, Ameer Abdullah and Tyler Goodson (in his return from a groin injury) are available to work behind Jonathan Taylor versus Tennessee.

OCTOBER 26, 2025 • ROTOWIRE

Plays just three snaps Giddens played just three snaps on offense in Sunday's win over the Chargers. He didn't have a carry or target in the win.

Impact Giddens appears to have been bypassed by Ameer Abdullah in the pecking order for carries. Abdullah had two carries for 19 yards, including a carry early in the third quarter. It was assumed Giddens would be the running back who would get the most work if Jonathan Taylor were to get hurt, but Abdullah's emergence the last two games puts that in doubt. However, Tyler Goodson could emerge as the No. 2 running back when he returns from a groin injury. However, Jonathan Taylor is getting almost every touch in the backfield in non-blowouts, so any of his backups isn't likely to have much production.

OCTOBER 20, 2025 • ROTOWIRE

Plays just three snaps Giddens played just three snaps on offense in Sunday's win over the Chargers. He didn't have a carry or target in the win.

OCTOBER 20, 2025 • ROTOWIRE

Just two snaps on offense Giddens did not have a carry nor was targeted in the passing game in Sunday's win over Arizona. He played just two snaps on offense.

Impact It was surprisingly Ameer Abdullah who had both a carry and a reception in the game, although the veteran RB played only three snaps on offense. Giddens is still likely the running back who would get the most work if Jonathan Taylor were to get hurt, though Tyler Goodson has been sidelined with a groin injury and could factor in once he's healthy. Either way, Taylor is getting almost every touch in the backfield in non-blowouts, and that doesn't look likely to change.

OCTOBER 13, 2025 • ROTOWIRE

Just two snaps on offense Giddens did not have a carry nor was targeted in the passing game in Sunday's win over Arizona. He played just two snaps on offense.

Impact It was surprisingly Ameer Abdullah who had both a carry and reception in the game and played three snaps on offense. Giddens is still likely the running back who would get the most work if Jonathan Taylor were to get hurt (though Tyler Goodson has been sidelined with a groin injury). Either way, Taylor is getting almost every touch in the backfield in non-blowouts and that doesn't look likely to change barring injury.

OCTOBER 13, 2025 • ROTOWIRE

Gets five carries in blowout win Giddens had five carries for 22 yards and no receptions with a drop on his one target in Sunday's win over Las Vegas.

Impact Giddens played on nine of the offense's 66 snaps. He was used in the second quarter before the game became a blowout which was encouraging as the Colts had gone several games without giving starter Jonathan Taylor any rest in a close game. However, Giddens dropped a catchable ball. Amer Abdullah did score a rushing touchdown late in the game, but he's a clear third or fourth option in the backfield as he got time in a blowout win.

OCTOBER 6, 2025 • ROTOWIRE

Plays just four snaps in loss Giddens did not have a carry or target in Sunday's loss at the Rams. He played just four snaps on offense.

Impact Jonathan Taylor against got almost every touch in the backfield as Tyler Goodson had one reception for no gain and played four snaps. Goodson left the game with a groin injury, so Giddens could be the exclusive backup running back next week against Las Vegas. However, Taylor is getting almost every snap in the backfield with the Colts making little effort to work in any backups.

SEPTEMBER 29, 2025 • ROTOWIRE

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