Months after sending Zaire Franklin to the Green Bay Packers, the Indianapolis Colts are now set to cut the player they got back in the deal, and that’s a brutal look for general manager Chris Ballard.
According to NFL insider Ian Rapoport, Colby Wooden is expected to be part of the roster cuts, a move that leaves the original trade looking even stranger in hindsight. The Colts had hoped Wooden would settle in as a strong fit for defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo’s scheme, and there were signs that possibility was taking shape as camp progressed.
That’s what makes this development so hard to explain. Wooden wasn’t a huge producer in Green Bay, but he drew strong reviews after arriving in Indianapolis.
He also logged plenty of preseason snaps, which can sometimes hint that a player is fighting for a real role rather than sitting comfortably in the projected rotation. After a rough outing against the Atlanta Falcons, he looked much better over the final two preseason games.
Now, though, Indianapolis appears ready to move on. And if that happens, the Colts will have traded Franklin away and effectively gotten nothing lasting in return.
Once roster cuts are finalized, Wooden is likely gone, and he almost certainly won’t make it through waivers. Another team should claim him.
The worst-case scenario for Indianapolis would be if he ended up back with the Packers. That would mean the Colts gave up Franklin and then watched Green Bay keep the player Indy was supposed to benefit from.
Ballard’s decision to deal Franklin was meant to reshape an inside linebacker group that had fallen short for years. The Colts did make that change, but the off-ball linebackers heading into the 2026 season remain an unproven group, and training camp hasn’t exactly solved that problem. Franklin had to go, but the plan to replace him has not produced real answers.
Wooden was supposed to be a solid backup behind DeForest Buckner and Grover Stewart. Instead, his release would leave Indianapolis worse off along the defensive line too. Since March, Ballard has made both the linebacker room and the defensive front weaker, and this latest move only adds to that mess.
In Other News...
Colts Just Put Two Bubble Players In A Tough Spot
With the Colts closing in on their 2026 roster cut deadline, the front office quietly added another piece to the interior offensive line by dealing a 2027 sixth-round pick to Buffalo for center Sedrick Van Pran-Granger. The move gives Indianapolis a deeper answer behind Tanor Bortolini and adds a player the team clearly views as capable of handling backup center duties if needed.
The timing of the trade makes the ripple effect hard to miss for the players fighting to stay on the bubble. Dalton Tucker and Jimmy Morrissey were already trying to carve out a place in a crowded competition, and Van Pran-Grangers arrival only tightens the squeeze as the Colts sort through their final decisions. For players on the margin, a late addition like this can change the math quickly. [Read more 🡒]
Colts Suddenly Have A Serious Offseason Addition Problem
Keenan Allens arrival was supposed to give the Colts a proven veteran target and a quick boost to a passing game looking for reliability. Instead, just days after being signed following his release from the Chargers, the receiver is now at the center of an offseason problem the team did not need, with his arrest on preliminary charges of DWI and DWI endangering a person coming shortly after he played in a preseason game.
The Colts have acknowledged the incident and are gathering more information, leaving the organization in an awkward spot with a player it brought in earlier this month to help steady the offense. For a team trying to make one of its late-summer additions count, the next steps matter just as much as the reason Allen was added in the first place. [Read more 🡒]
Riley Leonard's Final Audition Left The Colts With A Tough Call
Riley Leonard got his last meaningful look of the preseason in the second quarter against Detroit, and the picture was familiar: a few flashes of poise mixed with enough inconsistency to keep the Colts quarterback conversation unsettled. Leonard finished 3-for-7 for 48 yards and an interception, but he also showed some of the traits that make the staff want to keep watching, including a clutch completion on fourth-and-6 and a well-placed throw along the sideline.
As the preseason wound down, Leonards performance left Indianapolis with a real decision to sort through behind the starter. Shane Steichen still had not named the backup quarterback, and Leonards body of work did little to make the choice simple. The upside has been there in spots, but so has the unevenness, and the Colts now have to decide how much those flashes should matter compared with the broader trend. [Read more 🡒]