The Indianapolis Colts head into training camp with pressure already building around Shane Steichen and Chris Ballard, and there isn’t much room for a slow start. With a tough opening stretch on the schedule, this is a team that has to get answers fast.
There are still a few reasons for optimism. Charvarius Ward and Sauce Gardner are healthy, and there’s still hope DeForest Buckner will be ready for the season opener. But the bigger question is whether the Colts can avoid the kind of late-season collapse that left them looking like two different teams over the course of last year.
A lot of that will come down to what happens in camp, and three issues stand out.
The first is whether the Colts will actually bring in another wide receiver. Right now, they haven’t shown much interest in adding to the room, even with their name floating around in connection with Keenan Allen and Tyreek Hill. For now, that’s been more rumor than reality.
The concern is obvious. Indianapolis traded Michael Pittman Jr. and didn’t replace him with a proven veteran.
Nick Westbrook-Ikhine is mostly known for special teams work, and on paper the position looks thin. Ashton Dulin, though, gave them something to think about earlier in the offseason.
The veteran special teams ace turned heads and seemed to be pushing for a bigger role. Camp will show whether he can keep that going and convince the Colts they can stand pat.
Another major battle is on the defensive line, where the spot next to Laiatu Latu is still up for grabs. Latu has been trending up and should be in the mix for double-digit sacks next season, but the rest of the pass rush remains a question mark.
Indianapolis signed Arden Key to compete with Jaylahn Tuimoloau for the other starting defensive end job, and there still doesn’t appear to be a clear favorite. That’s a little concerning given Tuimoloau’s draft pedigree and upside.
Lou Anarumo’s defense was strong against the run last season, but it had real problems defending the pass. Whether Tuimoloau can make a jump, or whether Key takes the job, could shape how much this unit improves.
Then there’s Daniel Jones, and whether he’s truly ready to take on the role the Colts are asking him to fill. He’s reportedly making strong progress in his recovery and looked sharp in 7-on-7 drills during OTAs. Barring something unexpected, he should be set for training camp.
That matters because Indianapolis is betting heavily on Jones. He played the best football of his career in the first half of last season, and the Colts are hoping he can finally give them the stability they’ve been searching for at quarterback.
In Other News...
Riley Leonard Is Suddenly Near The Middle Of Colts QB Drama
Riley Leonard spent much of his rookie season learning on the fly, but by the end of 2025 he had worked his way into a much more meaningful spot in the Colts quarterback room. He moved into the backup role after Anthony Richardson Sr. suffered an eye injury, then got an even bigger test when Daniel Jones went down with an Achilles injury and Leonard started the final game of the year. Shane Steichen came away encouraged by the way Leonard handled the stretch, pointing to the quarterbacks growth and the way he has absorbed the offense.
Now Leonard is suddenly right in the middle of the Colts next quarterback conversation, with the pecking order behind Jones looking far less settled than it did a few months ago. The expectation around the league is that Leonard has positioned himself to stay in the mix as the primary backup, and his standing could become even more important when camp opens later this month and the Colts sort out what the room looks like going forward. [Read more 🡒]
Colts Just Got A Concerning Reminder About DeForest Buckner
DeForest Buckner remains one of the biggest swing factors on the Colts defense as he works his way back from the neck injury that cut into his season and required surgery. The veteran tackle is expected to be ready for Week 1, but Indianapolis still has reason to watch closely because the question is not just whether he is available, but how much of his usual impact he can bring right away.
A recent ESPN ranking of the leagues defensive tackles offered a reminder of how Buckner is being viewed outside the building, leaving him out of the top 10. The omission was tied more to age and the injury than to any real doubt about his talent, which is why the Colts will be leaning on the same belief their coaches have held all along: when Buckner is right, he still changes the front. [Read more 🡒]
These Colts Could Spark A Real Untouchable Debate
The Colts have quietly built a roster with a few names that would draw real interest if the conversation ever turned to the trade market. Charvarius Ward, Cam Bynum, Daniel Jones and Alec Pierce all sit in that tier where age, talent, contract and positional value make them easy to imagine in a different uniform, even if the team has no reason to shop them. It is the kind of exercise that says as much about how Indianapolis has assembled its depth as it does about any one player.
What makes the discussion interesting is how different those profiles are, and how much the league tends to pay for certainty at premium spots. A corner, a safety, a quarterback and a receiver each carry their own kind of appeal, which is why the estimates around them land in a fairly narrow band of meaningful picks. For the Colts, it is a reminder that some of their most useful pieces are also the ones other teams would most want to call about. [Read more 🡒]