The Indianapolis Colts started the offseason by trading longtime starting linebacker Zaire Franklin and not re-signing 2025 starter Germaine Pratt. This might have indicated to Austin Ajiake that he was finally in line to get a lot of playing time. Now? Not so much.
Indy drafted George linebacker CJ Allen with the 53rd overall choice in the 2026 NFL draft, after Indianapolis traded back seven spots with the Pittsburgh Steelers, and Allen should be expected to be a Week 1 starter. He will likely be lining up next to free agent addition Akeem Davis-Gaither.
This means Ajiake will move to his normal backup role, at best. He has to hope he can impress on special teams again, or he could be out of a job. This wouldn't be the first time, of course. He has spent time on the Colts' practice squad previously.
Indianapolis Colts draft pick CJ Allen could push Austin Ajiake off the roster
Ajiake did play in all 16 games in 2025, but only 14 percent of defensive snaps. He couldn't beat out Franklin or Pratt for snaps, and both of those guys were horrible in pass coverage. One might have assumed that Indy's defensive coordinator, Lou Anarumo, would have given Ajiake at least a chance to show he should play on third downs, but no.
Allen isn't big (he is almost 6'1" and just 230 pounds), but he can run sideline to sideline and be great in run support, and likely cover better than Franklin or Pratt. He's better because that was one of the glaring weaknesses for Indianapolis in 2025, and doing the same in 2026 will cost the team games.
The Georgia product will probably soon be the green dot in Anarumo's defense, and the hope is that Davis-Gaither, who has bounced around the league a bit, can finally find a home with the Colts, and he and Allen can form a long-term elite inside linebacker duo for Indianapolis.
Austin Ajiake, though. He will be fighting for his NFL life in training camp and the preseason. If he couldn't earn reps when the defense was underwhelming last season, he is very unlikely to earn more with a standout rookie taking his spot.
Moreover, if Ajiake somehow outplays CJ Allen in training camp, a real problem has occurred. Maybe further proving that Chris Ballard doesn't need to be the Indianapolis Colts' general manager. Not that that would be the worst thing to happen. Ballard hasn't yet won the AFC South in his nine years on the job.
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