Jalen Travis is walking into a much bigger job in 2026, and one analyst thinks that puts the Colts’ second-year tackle squarely under the spotlight.
Indianapolis took Travis in the fourth round of the 2025 NFL Draft, and after a rookie season that included four total starts at right tackle, he’s now expected to open this year as the starter on the right side. That opportunity comes with Braden Smith gone, leaving Travis to step into a role that looks a lot more important than the one he had last season.
PFF’s Bradley Locker put Travis on his list of the top ten NFL players under pressure to deliver in Year 2, and he was the only Colts player to make the cut. Locker pointed to the size of the role ahead and the team context around it.
"With longtime stalwart Braden Smith heading to rival Houston this spring, Travis is now in pole position to be the Colts’ new starting right tackle," Locker wrote. "Given Indianapolis’ penchant for developing quality offensive linemen, the Iowa State product could step up to the plate swiftly in his second year. No matter what, Travis should boast a significantly larger role for a team that’s in the microscope following a late-season collapse - and which figures to compete in a tough division yet again.”
There’s reason for the attention. When Travis got his chances to start, he held up well enough to show why Indianapolis believes in him. Over 175 pass-blocking snaps, he gave up one sack and 12 pressures, and PFF also graded him positively as a run blocker.
That progress has apparently carried into the offseason, too. Quenton Nelson has been "impressed" with what he’s seen from Travis in Year 2.
Now the task gets bigger. For the Colts, stability up front matters, and Travis is in the middle of it. If the offensive line can keep the quarterback clean and help establish the run, that’s where the consistency starts.
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