- Daniel Jones is under the microscope: The Colts are betting the veteran quarterback can provide the consistency needed to end a two-year playoff drought.
- Josh Downs is positioned for a breakout: Michael Pittman's departure opens the door for the fourth-year receiver to take on a significantly larger role.
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The Colts raced out to an 8-2 start in 2025, but a seven-game losing streak to close the season left them at 8-9 for the second consecutive year. They made a blockbuster move during the season by acquiring cornerback Sauce Gardner, then doubled down this offseason by committing to Daniel Jones at quarterback as they look to challenge the Houston Texans and Jacksonville Jaguars, who finished first and second in the AFC South last season.
Here's our 2026 preview of the Indianapolis Colts.
Key Free Agency/Trade Additions
| Position | Player | 2025 PFF Grade |
|---|---|---|
| WR | Nick Westbrook-Ikhine | 51.5 |
| EDGE | Arden Key | 63.7 |
| DI | Colby Wooden | 50.7 |
| EDGE | Micheal Clemons | 59.9 |
| LB | Akeem Davis-Gaither | 49.9 |
| S | Juanyeh Thomas | 60.0 |
| CB | Cam Taylor-Britt | 57.6 |
The Colts traded away wide receiver Michael Pittman this offseason but made little investment in replacing him. Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, who signed a one-year deal, was their only offensive free-agent addition outside of quarterback Easton Stick, who projects as a potential third-string option. Westbrook-Ikhine's best season came in 2024, when he totaled 497 receiving yards and averaged 1.14 yards per route run, tied for 86th among qualifying wide receivers.
Arden Key appears set to start opposite Laiatu Latu on the edge, and after a slow start to his career, he has developed into a reliable contributor. Following three straight seasons with PFF grades below 60.0 to open his career, Key has posted grades above that mark in each of the past five seasons.
2026 NFL Draft Class
| Position | Player | 2025 PFF Grade |
|---|---|---|
| LB | CJ Allen | 75.8 |
| S | A.J. Haulcy | 86.6 |
| G | Jalen Farmer | 69.8 |
| LB | Bryce Boettcher | 77.6 |
| EDGE | George Gumbs Jr. | 66.0 |
| EDGE | Caden Curry | 90.6 |
| HB | Seth McGowan | 70.1 |
| WR | Deion Burks | 64.1 |
Despite not owning a first-round pick, the Colts appear to have landed a pair of immediate starters on the defensive side of the ball. Second-round pick CJ Allen earned PFF grades above 70.0 in each of his final two college seasons. His biggest strength is defending the run, as evidenced by an 88.6 PFF run-defense grade in his final season, though he earned just a 55.5 PFF coverage grade. How he develops in coverage will be one of the key storylines to monitor as he transitions to the NFL.
Safety A.J. Haulcy followed up a strong 2024 season at Houston with an even better campaign at LSU in 2025. His 88.6 PFF coverage grade ranked tied for eighth among all safeties in the 2026 draft class, giving the Colts another rookie with the potential to contribute right away.
Reasons for optimism
Laiatu Latu took a significant step forward in his second NFL season, improving across multiple key metrics. His PFF grade jumped from 72.1 as a rookie to 84.1 in Year 2, while his run-defense grade increased by nine points and his pass-rush grade improved by 4.9. His pressure rate also climbed from 10.1% to 14.0%, and 20 of his pressures resulted in sacks or quarterback hits, up from 13 the previous season. If Latu takes another step forward in 2026, he could establish himself among the league's next tier of edge defenders just below the NFL's elite.
Reason for pessimism
The Colts' commitment to Daniel Jones is relatively low risk, with his contract tying him to the team for only the next two seasons. Even so, it is fair to question whether he is the long-term answer at quarterback. Jones opened 2025 strongly, ranking 10th among quarterbacks with an 80.3 PFF grade through Week 8, but he fell to 32nd from Week 9 onward. Over the full season, his 3.1% big-time throw rate ranked 34th among the 45 quarterbacks with at least 100 dropbacks, while his 3.9% turnover-worthy play rate was tied for the 13th highest.
Jones' career body of work offers little reason to expect a dramatic turnaround. Across seven NFL seasons, he has produced a higher big-time throw rate than turnover-worthy play rate just once, and his career 2.9% big-time throw rate would have ranked only 36th among those 45 qualifying quarterbacks in 2025.
Breakout Candidate
Michael Pittman‘s departure should create more opportunities for Josh Downs in a contract year. The 2023 third-round pick has recorded at least 500 receiving yards in each of his first three NFL seasons while dropping just 4.3% of his catchable targets over that span. In 2024, Downs averaged 2.20 yards per route run and saw 102 targets. With a clear path to the No. 2 receiver role in Indianapolis' offense, he has a strong chance to return to that level of production in 2026.
Key roster battles
With Josh Downs expected to take on a larger role following Michael Pittman's departure, the No. 3 receiver job is also up for grabs. Nick Westbrook-Ikhine is the favorite entering training camp, but after posting PFF receiving grades below 65.0 in each of the past four seasons, he is far from a lock to hold onto the role.
Seventh-round pick Deion Burks dropped just four of the 93 catchable targets he saw at Oklahoma, though he never averaged more than 1.60 yards per route run in a season. Ashton Dulin has flashed in limited opportunities and has dropped only two passes in his NFL career, but he has never been targeted more than 24 times in a season.
The opportunity is there for someone to seize the No. 3 receiver role. If none of the contenders separates from the pack, however, it could leave the Colts with a meaningful weakness in their receiving corps.
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