The Colts’ week in Dallas left plenty for fans to chew on, and not much of it was comforting. The game had the feel of something competitive at times, but the bigger picture never really changed: this was a team that can hang around, not one that looks ready to go anywhere.
Dallas came in with just three wins, and that mattered in how the afternoon was viewed. The Colts may have looked respectable in stretches, but the Cowboys also outgained them by a couple hundred yards, and penalties helped obscure that gap. Cee Dee was the obvious problem, the kind of receiver who can take over against this defense even when Pickins is out and the Colts have two good cover corners on the field.
There were moments where the Colts could have won it if they were coached by a different group on either side of the ball, but the roster context is hard to ignore. They’ve already moved on from their best offensive and defensive players, both team captains, and are still talking about other pieces with different levels of value.
The quarterback situation remains a major issue, too, with no real confidence that Richardson is healthy enough to be trusted to run the offense. On top of that, the defense has only one interior lineman you can really count on against the run.
That all feeds into the larger conversation around Shane’s future, and this game could end up as part of that story. Jones, in this view, was the better option than Richardson - until he wasn’t, which may have happened in Week 1 this year.
He keeps settling for the outlet, even when it’s short of the sticks, including on third down. He also hasn’t been as accurate from the pocket or on the move as his career numbers would suggest, and defenses don’t have to respect his legs the way they once did.
When he had a chance in space with one defender to beat, or a receiver to find, he couldn’t make it count. SS’s late-game and end-of-half decisions were also hard to stomach.
The defense didn’t help matters by surrendering another 500-plus yards. Without Buck, the lack of interior push is becoming obvious.
Tillery, Smith, and Givens rotated around Grove, but not in a way that solved the problem. Once Haulcey is back, the suggestion is to line Wohler up opposite Allen at linebacker, at least on passing downs.
At 6’2” 213, he’s big enough for the job, and Leonard once said he felt best at 212. He also looks like the most willing tackler on the roster.
There were a few bright spots, though. Tenuta seems to have earned a start, and from this view he looked like an upgrade, even if Dallas isn’t exactly a defense to fear. McGowan also drew praise, and there wouldn’t be much complaint about seeing 20 instead of 28 carrying the load.
The trade talk is where things get even messier. There’s a belief that JT should be moved, and the argument is simple: the Colts could get similar production from the position for less money, so taking a haul that many fans wouldn’t love still makes sense.
The issue is that the supposed asking price feels like speculation more than fact. The Colts have always been tight-lipped, so why assume someone inside the building leaked a number?
The sense is that fans are buying into chatter from people around the team, not from the team itself.
That uncertainty extends to the other names in the rumor mill. Dodds may not have to explain the return on traded players if he hasn’t even commented on the two he made, let alone the rumored ones.
There’s also a lot of misinformation floating around about what has actually been offered. Based on what has been seen all season, Jones doesn’t look like the quarterback Minnesota saw in practice for half a season two years ago.
If Downs or AR aren’t moved, the message could be just as important as the transaction itself: if a player wants out, talk to the front office, not the media. The Colts have made deals for players who wanted to move on, and even cut players to make that happen, but it has usually been framed as the team doing the player a favor rather than giving in.
The expectation here is that most people won’t like either the lack of movement, the return on any deal, or both. The mood is already pitchfork-heavy, and it’s hard to see what would satisfy the majority.
One final note from the game: JTT is not a bust. Curry could still have a role as a run-stopping MLB in short-yardage situations while also helping on the edge. And if Tankathon’s mock has the Colts taking a defensive lineman at pick 38, that logic is hard to dispute.
In Other News...
Colts Fans Are Staring At An Uncomfortable Daniel Jones Decision
Daniel Jones has spent much of this season trying to steady an offense that has not found much consistency, and the Colts are still weighing what comes next at quarterback. His recent stretch has included multiple games under 200 passing yards, and the broader line on his season is hard to ignore: six touchdowns against 10 interceptions over nine games, a profile that has done little to calm the frustration around a disappointing year.
Inside the organization, there is at least some discussion about whether Anthony Richardson should get more playing time as another option under center. For Colts fans, the bigger issue is not just Jones' numbers, but whether the current setup gives the team any real chance to change the direction of a season that has already slipped. The quarterback picture remains unsettled, and the next move figures to say plenty about how the Colts view the rest of this year. [Read more 🡒]
Colts Already Have A Painful Sauce Gardner Problem
The Colts made a massive bet on Sauce Gardner, sending two first-round picks and a wide receiver to New York in the hope they were landing the kind of shutdown corner who can change a defense overnight. Instead, the early returns have been uneasy, with Gardner not yet looking like the elite answer Indianapolis envisioned when it paid such a steep price to bring him in.
The concern only grew after a recent game against Dallas, where a costly coverage breakdown became part of the larger frustration around the move. When a team surrenders premium draft capital for a player of Gardners caliber, every missed assignment and every shaky sequence gets magnified, and right now the Colts are left trying to justify a deal whose long-term cost is becoming harder to ignore. [Read more 🡒]
Colts Suddenly Face QB Uncertainty As Vikings Search For Help
The quarterback market is starting to stir ahead of the Nov. 10 NFL trade deadline, and Indianapolis has suddenly found itself part of the conversation. Minnesota is reportedly exploring ways to add a quarterback, with NFL Networks Ian Rapoport pointing to Kirk Cousins and Daniel Jones as possible targets as the Vikings look for help.
For the Colts, the immediate wrinkle is Jones, who had been mentioned as a fit in the rumor mill. Indianapolis has already made clear it is not moving him, even as Minnesota continues to search for options and the deadline clock keeps ticking. The Vikings may still chase a deal, but for now the Colts stance leaves one potential avenue closed. [Read more 🡒]