CJ Allen isn’t hiding from the early rough patch.
The Colts rookie has had a slow, uneven start to his NFL career, and he knows it. Allen, a second-round pick out of Georgia, has already dealt with calf and hamstring injuries, and his first preseason game did little to calm concerns. The tape was messy: poor pursuit angles, a sluggish first step, and an overall look that made it clear he’s still a long way from being ready to handle a major role.
That reality has already changed how the Colts may have to think about the linebacker spot. Allen entered camp as the team’s next defensive quarterback and, with no first-round pick because of the Sauce Gardner trade, he was actually Indianapolis’ first selection in the 2026 NFL Draft. If things had gone according to plan, he would have been the one wearing the green dot in the season opener against the Baltimore Ravens.
Instead, he’s spent most of camp trying to catch up. He’s only logged a handful of reps, and the gap between where he is and where the Colts hoped he’d be has become obvious. That doesn’t mean the plan is dead, but it does mean the team can’t afford to force the issue.
“I think just overall, just the game, just playing football, I think you always can get better at that. It’s nothing that you can say, ‘Hey, I did (this) perfect.’ Man, it’s always room to improve,” Allen said.
The Colts have already reshaped their linebacker room this offseason after a defense that struggled badly in coverage during the first year of the Lou Anarumo era. Germaine Pratt and Zaire Franklin both moved on early in the offseason, and Allen was supposed to step into Franklin’s role at MIKE.
For now, though, Austin Ajiake looks more likely to serve as the placeholder there, with Akeem Davis-Gaither and rookie Bryce Boettcher alongside him.
That doesn’t make Allen a bust, and it doesn’t mean he won’t eventually become a real part of the defense. The injuries slowed him down, and some players simply need more time to adjust to the demands of the league. What stands out is that Allen seems to understand the situation clearly: he hasn’t done enough yet, and he knows it.
For Colts fans, the concern is real. But at this stage, it’s still far too soon to close the book on him.
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Downs doesnt sound interested in turning that into a personal numbers debate. He said he trusts the coaching staff to sort out the distribution and is more focused on team success than individual statistics, a stance that fits the tone of a group trying to build chemistry while sorting out roles. For the Colts, the challenge now is obvious: enough talent is in place to keep defenses busy, but figuring out who gets fed, and when, is where the real story will unfold. [Read more 🡒]