Five years is a long time to go without real playoff football, and the Colts are still trying to end that drought. They opened last season looking like a team ready to do it, but that feeling disappeared when Daniel Jones tore his Achilles tendon.
Jones is back on a new deal and is expected to start the 2026-27 season, and his presence shapes everything for Indianapolis. If he’s not on the field, the Colts’ playoff hopes are likely gone again, and that could put Shane Steichen and Chris Ballard in an even tougher spot with their jobs already in jeopardy.
So if Indianapolis is going to get back into the postseason next year, it won’t happen on Jones alone. A small group of players has to deliver, and the margin for error is thin.
Daniel Jones, QB
No surprise here: Jones sits at the center of it all. Last season, he opened as one of the league’s leading quarterbacks, and the Colts were winning and sitting at the top of their division.
Indianapolis needs that version of Jones back, and maybe even a better one. If he stays healthy, he gives the Colts a real chance.
Alec Pierce, WR
The Colts made a calculated bet by moving away from Michael Pittman Jr. and leaning into Alec Pierce as the top receiver. Pierce answered with a breakout season, and now he’s back on a four-year deal as the primary target.
That means the passing game will run heavily through the Jones-Pierce connection. Pierce has to justify the new contract and post better numbers than he did a year ago. If Jones is going to have the kind of season Indianapolis needs, Pierce has to help drive it.
Sauce Gardner, CB
The Colts’ trade for All-Pro cornerback Sauce Gardner was one of the biggest midseason moves last year, and it came with some risk. Still, Gardner is elite, and that made the gamble worthwhile.
Now he gets a full offseason before Week 1, and he joins a defense that already has plenty of Pro Bowl and All-Pro talent. In that mix, Gardner may be the most important piece of all. The pressure is also on after the New York Jets let him go.
Jonathan Taylor, RB
If Jones isn’t playing like a top-tier quarterback, the Colts are going to need Jonathan Taylor to carry even more of the load. Jones isn’t elite, and he isn’t viewed as a top-10 or top-15 quarterback, which makes Taylor’s role even bigger.
The ideal outcome is still Jones playing like he did last season, though his track record makes that far from a sure thing. If Jones slips, Taylor becomes absolutely essential. He’s elite, a top-10 back, and Indianapolis’ offense is going to feel it hard if he doesn’t deliver a strong season.
CJ Allen, LB
It’s a lot to ask of a rookie linebacker, but CJ Allen lands on this list because of where the Colts stand at the position. The group has been rebuilt with free-agent depth additions and draft picks.
Allen is expected to be the future leader of the linebackers, so his moment might as well start immediately. If Indianapolis doesn’t get enough production there next season, trouble could follow. The good news for the Colts is that Allen looks ready for the job.
In Other News...
Colts May Finally Be Forced Into The Risk Fans Wanted
The Colts uneven 2025 finish only sharpened the conversation around how much longer Chris Ballard can keep leaning on patience and internal development. After another season that opened well before sliding to 8-9, Indianapolis is once again looking for a way to add real impact without blowing up its long-term plan, and wide receiver help sits near the top of the list of needs.
Brandon Aiyuk is the kind of swing that could fit that mandate, especially with the 49ers expected to move on from him one way or another. The Colts have reason to pay attention because the path to landing him could be more manageable than a typical splash addition, and with the receiver room already short on proven answers, this is the sort of opening Ballard has often talked around but not always been forced to chase. [Read more 🡒]
Cam Taylor-Britt Enters Colts Camp With Very Little Margin For Error
Cam Taylor-Britt arrives at Colts camp in a familiar kind of spot for a veteran corner: useful enough to matter, but not so entrenched that anything is guaranteed. Indianapolis already has established options at the top of the depth chart, which means the real work for Taylor-Britt is finding a way to stand out in a crowded fight for the jobs behind them as training camp and final cuts draw closer.
His path gets a little more interesting because of Lou Anarumo, the Colts defensive coordinator, who coached Taylor-Britt in Cincinnati for three seasons. That connection gives him a built-in layer of familiarity, but it does not change the basic reality of camp - he still has to win over a roster spot against other contenders and prove he belongs in the mix when the decisions get tight. [Read more 🡒]