Jonathan Taylor is the workhorse running back for the Indianapolis Colts whenever he is playing.
Seth McGowan, though, continues to find his way into the mix for Indy in recent weeks in a slightly busier-than-expected RB depth chart.
The Colts take on the Titans on Sunday, and they’re doing so without their star tight end Tyler Warren, which means there will be other contributors that need to step up.
Indianapolis needs Taylor to be his usual superstar self, but the Colts will also continue to call on McGowan now and then.
He got his first two NFL carries in Week 2, but they went for a total of 0 yards.
In Week 3, McGowan carried four times for 14 yards.
In Week 4, McGowan got six carries for 31 yards along with one catch for seven yards.
And in Week 5, McGowan had five runs for 16 yards along with a 3-yard catch.
McGowan has continued to be a key kick return option for the Colts, as well.
Why Does Seth McGowan Play?
NFL teams can’t ride a running back for 100% of the snaps for a full season. There always needs to be a second option.
The Colts didn’t come into the season with a proven second option. Instead, they picked McGowan in the seventh round of the 2026 NFL Draft out of Kentucky and chose to keep McGowan as their RB2 after a promising preseason.
McGowan didn’t get a carry, but did get a catch, in his Week 1 NFL debut when he had five kick returns. Since then, the Colts have used McGowan with some consistency in a secondary role.
That will likely continue for as long as Taylor and McGowan are healthy, because even a lopsided tandem in favor of Taylor makes more sense than 100% Taylor and nothing for anyone else.
Jonathan Taylor Struggles
The bigger thing to note for Taylor is that he’s struggling to begin the season.
Through five games, he has run 101 times for 398 yards, which would be a career-worst 3.9 yards per carry.
Taylor does have six touchdowns on the ground, and he also has 13 catches for 106 yards, so he’s been somewhat productive.
But he’s never been this inefficient on the ground, and as the rest of the Colts’ offense deals with injuries, defenses know even more who to focus on.
The best chance of success moving forward for Indy is helping Taylor find his groove again. If McGowan can pitch in, too, all the better.
Why Seth McGowan Gets Some Carries Even When Jonathan Taylor is Playing for Colts