The Colts’ 2026 season will be shaped by more than just talent. It will come down to which players are too important to lose, especially when position value and roster depth are part of the equation.
That’s the thinking behind the annual indispensable Colts list, and the biggest name on it is Bernhard Raimann. He may not be the team’s best player, but the case for him is hard to miss.
A quality left tackle has long been a priority since the Anthony Castonzo days, and that matters even more now with little tackle depth behind him and a starting quarterback who has been oft injured and is also coming off a torn Achilles in less than a year. If Raimann goes down, the ripple effect could be brutal.
Sauce Gardner is next in line because the Colts made a trade for him, and moves like that come with expectations. The cornerback room has some upside, but there are still questions around the health of Charvarius Ward Sr. and whether Justin Walley is ready for the NFL.
Gardner has to be a stud. Period.
Jonathan Taylor also lands in the top five, though the reasoning is a little different. If this were simply a ranking of the Colts’ best players, he might be sitting at the top.
But running back doesn’t carry the same indispensable weight as some other positions. Even so, Taylor’s explosiveness makes him impossible to leave out.
Laiatu Latu rounds out the group. He might draw some skepticism here, especially when compared with some of the other names in the mix, but the position matters. The Colts don’t have a lot of proven edge defenders on the 2026 roster, and with DeForest Buckner’s injury situation continuing, Latu’s importance only grows.
There were plenty of other strong candidates. Alec Pierce had a real case and was the next player up.
Tyler Warren is already looking like a budding star, though tight end is a tougher sell for a list like this. Quenton Nelson remains a future Hall of Famer, but offensive guard hasn’t translated into January success for this team in a way that boosts his standing here.
Cam Bynum also got serious consideration, especially with youth around him in the middle of the defense. And a healthy DeForest Buckner would have been an automatic top-five pick, but the uncertainty around his neck injury keeps him off this version of the list.
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