It’s the kind of preseason exercise that only makes sense when the real football news is still dribbling in: who on the Colts could end up with hardware if things break right in 2026?
The award board starts with the big one on offense, and the Colts do have at least a couple of names worth tossing into the conversation. AP Offensive Player of the Year is not just a quarterback popularity contest - Patrick Mahomes was the last QB to win it, back in 2018 - and since then the trophy has gone to four different wide receivers and three running backs.
That opens the door a bit for Jonathan Taylor and Alec Pierce. Taylor has already produced those kinds of numbers before, and if he gets the kind of target volume most No. 1 receivers see, he could force his way into the race.
Defense gives the Colts a few more plausible paths, even if none of them are easy. AP Defensive Player of the Year has lately belonged to wrecking-ball edge rushers, with Myles Garrett taking two of the last three and names like J.J.
Watt and Aaron Donald piling up multiple wins over the years. Lockdown corners have also gotten their share since 2017, with Patrick Surtain and Stephon Gilmore both taking the award.
Laiatu Latu made a jump last season, and another one like that could put him in the mix. There are also two corners with strong reputations for erasing one side of the field, but whether Charvarius Ward or Sauce Gardner could generate enough interceptions to win it is another question.
The rookie categories are a tougher sell. AP Offensive Rookie of the Year gets a flat “Next.” unless you want to bet on Anthony Burks winning the WR3 job, becoming Daniel Jones’ favorite target, and putting together a Puka Nacua-style debut. Even then, Nacua didn’t actually win the award.
AP Defensive Rookie of the Year is more believable. There’s a clear precedent for a second-round pick stepping in and taking over, and Darius Leonard did exactly that.
C.J. Allen could fit that lane, and Carson Schwesinger won the award as a second-rounder last year.
Haulcey could be in the discussion too, though that feels more like a stretch.
Coach of the Year is where things get interesting. To win it, you usually have to be the coach of a team that steamrolls the league or the one seen as doing the most with the least.
Sometimes a rookie coach gets a wave of momentum too. The Colts are not expected to be good by the preseason crowd, but they may not be bad enough for Shane Steichen to be viewed as someone who unlocked something nobody else saw.
And because the league already saw this offense at full strength, a strong year on that side of the ball wouldn’t exactly come out of nowhere.
There’s also AP Assistant Coach of the Year, a newer award that has only existed since 2014. Special teams coaches don’t seem to have a path here, so that leaves Lou and Cooter.
Any offensive success would likely be credited to Steichen, which takes Jim Bob out of the picture. If Lou doesn’t win it this year, he may not get another real shot.
The final category is PFWA Executive of the Year, since AP doesn’t hand out an executive award. That raises the question of whether Chris Ballard could do enough to satisfy his bosses and join Brad Holmes and Howie Roseman as a two-time winner.
For any Colt to take home one of these awards, the team will probably have to beat the national expectations. And if that happens, the bigger question becomes who gets the credit.
That’s why the best answer may still be Shane. Jones and Taylor would both need huge seasons, and if that happens, Steichen would likely get the nod for the offense as a whole.
In Other News...
ESPN Just Delivered A Brutal Verdict On The Colts' Young Core
ESPN analyst Aaron Schatzs latest look at NFL rosters by under-25 talent did not paint a flattering picture for Indianapolis. The Colts came in 26th leaguewide, a drop from 20th a year ago, and the slide reflects a young core that has not delivered enough impact around general manager Chris Ballards recent draft classes. Among the teams first- and second-round picks from 2023 through 2025, only a couple have lived up to expectations, while others have fallen short or are no longer in Indianapolis.
The bigger concern is the company the Colts are keeping in the AFC South. Jacksonville, Tennessee and Houston all sit ahead of them in young-talent rankings, leaving Indianapolis behind every division rival in a category that usually tracks future upside. It is a sobering snapshot for a team trying to build sustainably, especially when the margin for error is already thin and the next wave of development has to come quickly. [Read more 🡒]
Tyreek Hill Update Should Cool Colts WR3 Buzz Fast
Tyreek Hills latest recovery update is the kind of reminder that can quickly change the way teams talk about a veteran receiver market. In a workout video he posted on his YouTube account, Hill showed he is still grinding through rehab after the knee injury that wiped out his season, and the tone of the update suggested real progress even if the road back remains long.
For the Colts, that matters because their search for a third wide receiver has been tied in part to the idea of a possible short-term swing at a big name with upside. Hills age and the severity of the injury already made that a complicated bet, and any optimism around his recovery only sharpens the question of whether Indianapolis should keep looking at safer options instead of waiting on a splashy name with plenty still unresolved. [Read more 🡒]
Colts May Already Have A Problem With This First Round Addition
The Colts spent the offseason trying to shore up a front seven that needed more reliable bodies around Grover Stewart and DeForest Buckner, bringing in Jerry Tillery and Derrick Nnadi as veteran help. On paper, the idea made sense: add experience, add depth, and see whether either lineman could give the defense a sturdier rotation behind its top two anchors.
The problem is that the early returns have not exactly quieted the concern. Tillery has long carried questions about his run defense and overall consistency, while the rest of the depth chart behind Stewart and Buckner still looks unsettled enough to keep the competition open. There are younger options in the mix, including Cameron Ball and Adetomiwa Adebawore, but the Colts still appear to be searching for a dependable answer rather than simply collecting names. [Read more 🡒]