Training camp will bring the usual spotlight on the Indianapolis Colts’ rookies, and that makes sense. This roster has a few unsettled spots, so first-year players could be asked to contribute right away.
But the pressure isn’t landing on the newcomers alone. There are veterans in this camp with plenty on the line, and for three of them, next season could shape what comes next in Indianapolis - or somewhere else.
Daniel Jones sits at the center of it all. The quarterback is the clearest veteran on the roster who has something to prove, and he may also be the most important.
The Colts extended him on a two-year contract after he suffered a season-ending injury last year, a move that showed they believe he can still be the player he was in the first half of last season when Indianapolis went 8-2. The Colts are betting on him, but that doesn’t mean his future is settled.
Reaching the playoffs would help, but Jones may need more than that. He simply has to play well if he wants to stay the team’s quarterback after next year.
Cam Taylor-Britt arrives with a different kind of pressure. The former Cincinnati Bengals cornerback built a reputation for playing with plenty of swagger, and for a stretch he backed it up.
But his play tailed off over the final two seasons in Cincinnati, and the talk quieted with it. Taylor-Britt still has the ability to match up with some of the league’s best receivers, but he’s also on a prove-it deal and fighting for a roster spot.
If he survives final cuts, it won’t be because the Colts are handing him a starting job. What matters is how he handles rotational snaps, because that will say a lot about his future.
His familiarity with Lou Anarumo helps, but the cornerback room is crowded, and someone is going to be squeezed out.
Then there’s Ashton Dulin, who has spent his time with the Colts as both a wide receiver and kick returner. In six games this season, he handled both jobs, but he has never broken through as one of the team’s primary pass-catching options.
His value has long come from his work as the top kick returner, which is part of why he’s stayed in Indianapolis. Even so, the Colts need a proven No. 3 receiver, and Dulin is in that mix.
His experience and comfort in the offense give him an edge over the other receivers on the depth chart, but nothing is guaranteed. However camp shakes out, Dulin may be nearing his final days with the Colts, which makes what he does next season especially important for his NFL future.
In Other News...
Riley Leonard Is Suddenly Near The Middle Of Colts QB Drama
Riley Leonard spent much of his rookie season learning on the fly, but by the end of 2025 he had worked his way into a much more meaningful spot in the Colts quarterback room. He moved into the backup role after Anthony Richardson Sr. suffered an eye injury, then got an even bigger test when Daniel Jones went down with an Achilles injury and Leonard started the final game of the year. Shane Steichen came away encouraged by the way Leonard handled the stretch, pointing to the quarterbacks growth and the way he has absorbed the offense.
Now Leonard is suddenly right in the middle of the Colts next quarterback conversation, with the pecking order behind Jones looking far less settled than it did a few months ago. The expectation around the league is that Leonard has positioned himself to stay in the mix as the primary backup, and his standing could become even more important when camp opens later this month and the Colts sort out what the room looks like going forward. [Read more 🡒]
Colts Just Got A Concerning Reminder About DeForest Buckner
DeForest Buckner remains one of the biggest swing factors on the Colts defense as he works his way back from the neck injury that cut into his season and required surgery. The veteran tackle is expected to be ready for Week 1, but Indianapolis still has reason to watch closely because the question is not just whether he is available, but how much of his usual impact he can bring right away.
A recent ESPN ranking of the leagues defensive tackles offered a reminder of how Buckner is being viewed outside the building, leaving him out of the top 10. The omission was tied more to age and the injury than to any real doubt about his talent, which is why the Colts will be leaning on the same belief their coaches have held all along: when Buckner is right, he still changes the front. [Read more 🡒]
These Colts Could Spark A Real Untouchable Debate
The Colts have quietly built a roster with a few names that would draw real interest if the conversation ever turned to the trade market. Charvarius Ward, Cam Bynum, Daniel Jones and Alec Pierce all sit in that tier where age, talent, contract and positional value make them easy to imagine in a different uniform, even if the team has no reason to shop them. It is the kind of exercise that says as much about how Indianapolis has assembled its depth as it does about any one player.
What makes the discussion interesting is how different those profiles are, and how much the league tends to pay for certainty at premium spots. A corner, a safety, a quarterback and a receiver each carry their own kind of appeal, which is why the estimates around them land in a fairly narrow band of meaningful picks. For the Colts, it is a reminder that some of their most useful pieces are also the ones other teams would most want to call about. [Read more 🡒]