A front office shakeup can flip a season on its head, and that’s exactly why the Colts’ decision to fire longtime general manager Chris Ballard has people around the league watching closely. With the trade deadline getting closer, the big question is whether Indianapolis decides to keep pushing forward or starts unloading talent.
Jonathan Taylor is the name that jumps off the page. He’s still the kind of back contenders would love to plug into their offense, and even with his play slipping this season, there’s plenty of reason to believe a bounce-back is coming. He’s 27, which means there’s still useful football ahead of him, and for the Colts, a new general manager could view him as either part of the future or the kind of asset worth turning into draft picks.
Still, if Indianapolis does go in a different direction, there will be no shortage of teams interested. The Seahawks are one obvious fit.
At 3-3, they haven’t looked like the team they expected to be, and their offense has been stuck in neutral. With Zach Charbonnet out and Kenneth Walker gone from this offseason, Seattle’s run game has been badly short on juice.
Charbonnet is expected back soon, and the team also drafted Jadarian Price this year, but the rookie has not done much to change the picture. A proven back like Taylor would give the Seahawks a real shot in the arm, even if they don’t have a ton of trade ammo to work with.
Cincinnati belongs in the conversation too. The Bengals came into the season expecting to lean more on the ground game, but six weeks in, that hasn’t happened.
They’re still near the bottom of the league in rushing attempts per game, and the production has been uneven. Chase Brown and Samaje Perine are both under four yards per carry, and Brown has been especially disappointing after a promising start to his season.
The Bengals need another explosive weapon on offense, and that need stands out even more because their defense has been carrying the load. They already made one major move by trading for Dexter Lawrence, so another swing for a star wouldn’t be out of character.
Then there’s Minnesota, which enters Week 7 at 6-0 and sitting in a strong position to take command of its division. The Vikings have been riding their defense through a turbulent quarterback situation, but the pieces are there for a real run at a title.
Adding Taylor would give Kevin O’Connell a different kind of weapon in the backfield, one he’s never had before. It could also help lighten the burden on Kyler Murray and make life easier for the offense as a whole.
In Other News...
Colts May Already Be Headed For Another QB Reset
Anthony Richardson is still the kind of player the Colts drafted him to be in theory, but the reality in Indianapolis has been much messier since Chris Ballard used the No. 4 pick on him in 2023. The front office took a big swing on Richardsons talent, and even now he remains part of the conversation around the franchises future, even as he has yet to lock down the kind of long-term hold on the job the team was hoping for.
For a Colts team that has already spent plenty of time searching for stability under center, the quarterback picture remains shaky heading into the years ahead. Daniel Jones is currently the starter, which only adds to the sense that Indianapolis may be looking at another reset before long, with Richardsons development still hanging over how the roster and the position will be viewed going forward. [Read more 🡒]
Colts Face A Core Decision That Could Reshape This Roster
The Colts are heading toward one of those crossroads seasons that forces an organization to decide what it really wants to be. Several notable players are set to become free agents after the year, and the list includes DeForest Buckner, Quenton Nelson, Josh Downs and Grover Stewart. Indianapolis has the cap space to keep moving forward, but it also has enough looming decisions to make the roster feel fragile if the front office starts thinking beyond this season.
Buckner remains one of the leagues most dependable interior defenders even as the years pile up, while Nelsons long-term status is still unsettled after no extension materialized. Downs has not yet matched expectations, and Stewart could be staring at a financial reset if the Colts try to keep him in the fold. With so much talent potentially in play, the bigger question is whether Indianapolis wants to keep adding around this core or risk taking a step back in hopes of reshaping the roster on its own terms. [Read more 🡒]
Colts Fans Have Every Right To Worry About The Sauce Gardner Trade
The Colts made their big swing for Sauce Gardner during the 2025 season, betting premium draft capital and a young receiver on a proven corner who could change the look of their defense. It was the kind of move that signaled urgency in Indianapolis, but it also came with the kind of risk that always follows blockbuster trades, especially when future picks are the price of admission.
That risk feels a little sharper now because Gardner has already missed time with a left calf issue, leaving Colts fans to wonder how much value the team is actually getting back from the deal. With Indianapolis having given up major draft capital, the trade has naturally fueled speculation about whether the front office could look for another path before the 2025 deadline if the fit does not start paying off soon. [Read more 🡒]