Who Should I Start? Jaleel McLaughlin or DJ Giddens

Monday, January 13, 10:50 AM

Denver Broncos running back Jaleel McLaughlin was a complete non-factor in the team's 31-7 blowout loss to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday on wild-card weekend. Like most of the season, Denver's backfield was stuck in the mud and couldn't get anything going to control the game, with rookie quarterback Bo Nix leading the team with 43 rushing yards on four carries. McLaughlin, who had been the leader of a committee backfield late in the season, had only two rushing attempts for minus-two yards while catching his only target for no gain. It was a dismal end to the 24-year-old's second season in the NFL. He finished with 113 carries for 496 yards (4.4 yards per carry) and only one rushing touchdown in 16 regular-season games while adding 24 catches for 76 yards and two more TDs through the air. Denver will surely look to upgrade their backfield in the offseason to give more help to Nix in 2025.

Friday, August 8, 9:11 AM

Indianapolis Colts running back DJ Giddens carried the ball six times for 17 yards and failed to corral his lone target in a 24-16 preseason loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Thursday. Giddens and Tyler Goodson split the work throughout the first half of the game before ultimately giving way to Khalil Herbert at the beginning of the third quarter. Giddens finished with a long run of seven yards while averaging 2.8 yards per carry in the contest. The fifth-round rookie out of Kansas State is fighting to open the regular season as the primary backup behind Jonathan Taylor. His next chance to make an impression will come in the Colts' second preseason game, which will be next Saturday against the Green Bay Packers.