The Indianapolis Colts spent the offseason turning over their edge rush room, but the reset hasn’t solved the problem. If anything, the summer has made the concern harder to ignore.
Kwity Paye, Samson Ebukam and Tyquan Lewis all left in free agency, and the Colts tried to swing big for Trey Hendrickson. That chase ended when the Baltimore Ravens came in at the last minute with a massive contract. Once that door closed, the Colts’ response was thin.
They had already added veterans Arden Key and Micheal Clemons as reserve options, but the bigger need was obvious: someone who could line up next to Laiatu Latu and actually start. Instead, the team’s draft additions came late, with George Gumbs Jr. and Caden Curry landing as developmental picks rather than immediate answers. Both could have bright futures, but neither looks like the kind of player who changes the 2026 outlook right away.
So the Colts are back where they started, leaning on a group that still feels light on impact. Key is best suited as a rotational rusher.
Clemons has been inconsistent at best. Gumbs is a fifth-round rookie.
Curry is a sixth-round rookie. For a unit that struggled to create pressure without blitzing, that’s a pretty shaky collection of answers.
The real bet has been on development from Latu and Jaylahn Tuimoloau. Latu’s case makes sense after a huge step forward in 2025 and with his former top-15 pedigree. Tuimoloau is a different story.
As a rookie, Tuimoloau barely saw the field at times, spent part of the early season as a healthy inactive, and later missed time because of an oblique strain. He played in 13 games and finished with 17 total tackles, six quarterback hits, and zero sacks. That’s not the kind of first-year production that usually earns a major leap of faith.
And yet the Colts gave him a clear opening to win the starting job opposite Latu. He just never made up ground.
From the start of camp, that role belonged to Key. Tuimoloau spent most of the summer with the second team and never really pushed his way into the conversation.
The preseason didn’t help. In games against the New England Patriots and the Atlanta Falcons, Tuimoloau needed splash plays to force the issue. Instead, he came away looking overmatched against the Patriots and the Falcons’ reserve offenses.
His pass rush has been ordinary, but the run defense is where the concern really jumps off the tape. He has struggled to hold his gaps and has been moved too easily by wide receivers and tight ends in the clips below. That’s not the look of someone ready to take on a regular-season role.
None of this is just about piling on Tuimoloau. He’s been disappointing, sure, but the Colts also put him in a bad spot by banking on him so heavily after an unimpressive rookie season. Counting on that kind of turnaround was always a huge gamble.
And with a “must-win” season approaching, the edge room still doesn’t look strong enough. Gumbs, Curry and Tuimoloau are projects.
Key is a solid reserve. Clemons might provide something, but nobody should expect him to move the needle.
That leaves the Colts hoping for a superstar jump from Latu, even though he hasn’t shown that level yet.
The bigger question is what Indianapolis thought this would look like when camp opened. Did it really expect Gumbs Jr. to be the next Robert Mathis, or Tuimoloau to suddenly become a younger Trey Hendrickson? The plan was shaky from the beginning, and it looks worse now with Week 1 less than three weeks away.
In Other News...
Alec Pierce Just Changed The Feel Of Colts Camp
Alec Pierces return has given Colts camp a different look, and not just because another receiver is back on the field. Indianapolis activated Pierce off the Physically Unable to Perform list after the wideout spent the spring recovering from surgery on his left ankle and heel in March, a step that suggests the team expects him to be available when the regular season opens.
For a Colts offense that plans to lean on him heavily, getting Pierce through this stage matters. He arrived on a four-year, $114 million contract and is positioned as a key piece of the passing game, so his ability to rejoin practice without restriction changes the tone of camp and sharpens the attention on how quickly he settles back into the mix. [Read more 🡒]
Colts Testing Ashton Dulin In Role That Could Sway Receiver Cuts
With the preseason winding down, Ashton Dulin is getting a look at punt returner as the Colts sort through a crowded receiver picture and a few special teams questions. Dulin already has experience as a kick returner, but this is a new assignment for him in game action, and Indianapolis is using the final week to see whether he can expand his value beyond his usual role.
The timing matters because roster construction is starting to come into focus, and one more capable return option could give the Colts more flexibility at receiver. If Dulin can handle both jobs, it may help the team keep a pair of veterans in Laquon Treadwell and Nick Westbrook-Ikhine instead of forcing a tougher cut elsewhere. [Read more 🡒]
Josh Downs Sends A Clear Message After Colts Add Keenan Allen
Keenan Allen is in Indianapolis on a one-year deal, and the addition brings a proven veteran receiver into a Colts offense that already has some established pieces to sort through. Allen arrives after his recent stint with the Chargers, carrying a long NFL resume and the kind of production that usually changes how a passing game looks on paper. For a Colts team trying to line up its wide receiver rotation, it is the sort of move that naturally creates questions about how the snaps and targets will be divided.
Josh Downs, heading into his fourth season, does not sound worried about it. The Colts receiver said he is not concerned about Allen's arrival affecting his share of the offense and pointed to the coach as the one who will manage the situation. It is a straightforward answer, but it also reflects where Indianapolis is now: with enough receiving talent to make this a conversation, and enough uncertainty to keep the rest of the room watching how it all settles in. [Read more 🡒]