It took almost half a season, but it appears the CJ Allen era is finally here.
Allen was the Indianapolis Colts' top overall pick in the 2026 draft and was initially expected to play a major role at the center of a revamped defense. Offseason injuries slowed his progress, and they continued into the regular season, leading fans to wonder whether they would ever see the Georgia star take on a major role.
That changed in Week 8 against Jacksonville. Allen played 45 snaps, far more than any other Colts linebacker. They very nearly matched the total number he had played in his first four NFL games combined. He led the team in total tackles and recorded his first sack.
CJ Allen finally makes his mark on the Indianapolis Colts' defense
He was also part of a unit that surrendered more than 180 yards on the ground and 6.9 yards per play. The Colts gave up 42 points to the Jags, though the defense was only responsible for 35 of them. It was the second-most points the club has allowed since Lou Anarumo became defensive coordinator.
Not exactly the progress fans were hoping to see, but if you squint hard enough, there were distant glimmers of light.
The Colts recorded four tackles for loss in the game. They were credited to Allen, Jaylahn Tuimoloau, Laiatu Latu, and Adetomiwa Adebawore. Caden Curry led the club in solo tackles. None of those players are over 25. They were all drafted in the last four years. Along with Sauce Gardner, Justin Walley, and AJ Haulcy, they are the future of this Colts defense.
It has not been pretty, and there’s every reason to believe it will not be pretty for the rest of this year. But at this point, Indy has no choice. The trade of DeForest Buckner last week signaled the end of an era in Indy’s defense. They have to play their youngsters and let them sink or swim. They have to see what the kids can and can’t do.
That is certainly true of Allen. What we saw was reasonably encouraging. He was far from the tentative player he had been at the beginning of the season. He was aggressive all game long. He attacked the line.
One of the things scouts praised Allen for in college was his intelligence. He was very good at diagnosing plays. Once he diagnoses the action, he attacks aggressively. Unlike a lot of young, aggressive linebackers, Allen tends not to run himself out of plays by overreacting. His fellow rookie, Bryce Boettcher, is more prone to that type of mistake.
Boettcher played a fair amount early in the season, but his snaps have gradually been reduced. Injuries kept him out of Sunday’s game, and he should return at some point to hopefully take his place alongside the other young defenders. Like all of them, he will be a work in progress.
But Allen is the more important player, and his rapid development will be crucial if the Colts' defense is going to show any real improvement this season. The good part of this story is that he has made sizeable strides in his development and seems far more confident on the field.
The bad side is that there may not be a lot more upside to be found. In addition to praising his toughness and his smarts in college, scouts also worried that his physical tools simply were not elite enough to make him a star at the next level. That is why a productive linebacker from a top-tier college program fell into the second round to begin with.
Anthony Hill, Jr., the Titans linebacker drafted a little bit after Allen last April, is a better athlete. He is bigger. He has longer arms. Though his 40-yard time is slower, his 10-yard split is faster, and that matters far more to a linebacker than speed in the 40. Hill has gotten off to a great start as a rookie.
Allen is certainly not a poor athlete, and I expect he will narrow the early gap with fellow rookies like Hill and Jacob Rodriguez.
But I do wonder about his ceiling. There were a fair number of plays on which Allen was rather easily blocked by Jacksonville linemen, and those moments invariably resulted in big plays. Both of the Jags' long touchdown runs came when Allen was essentially wiped out by linemen downfield.
Certainly, this is not all on Allen. Safeties Cam Bynum and AJ Haulcy were not good on Sunday. Haulcy, who has struggled in his rookie year, is also part of the future. Bynum probably is not, and it would not be a surprise to see the veteran traded before the deadline next week.
But Allen will have to develop a method for dealing with linemen who reach the second level. He will need to find ways to use his agility and savvy to get around the block and make the tackle. That will be his main job going forward.
At this point, it makes sense to put CJ Allen on the field and leave him there. Right now, he is not very comfortable in pass coverage, but to be fair, no Colts linebacker has shown the ability to perform in that area. Allen has to gain experience in coverage. He is already proving to be a good tackler, albeit with some physical limitations.
That actually sounds a lot like the guy he replaced, Zaire Franklin. The former captain's play dropped off in the last two couple of seasons, prompting his departure. But just two years ago, Franklin was a Second-Team All-Pro player.
It’s way too early to predict that for Allen. But now that we have actually seen him on the field for an extended period, we can at least begin to dream.
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