The Indianapolis Colts aren't getting a lot of love from national pundits ahead of the 2026 season. Many appear to believe the team's true nature is closer to how last season ended than how the season began. After starting 7-1, the team lost its last seven games to finish 8-9.
Partly, that was because the backups to key players didn't perform that well. Indy needed better depth than general manager Chris Ballard gave them. But the GM also thought the three draft picks below would turn out to be better players than they have been.
That means the three below could be facing their final summers or last seasons with Indianapolis. They have minicamp and training camp to show they can be beneficial to the squad. If not, the Colts could be looking for their replacements soon.
Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson
Richardson has taken many of the QB1 reps in organized team activities while presumed starter Daniel Jones has been limited due to still working his way back from a torn Achilles tendon in Week 14 last season. That Richardson is practicing proves he is back from the blurred vision issue he had after breaking his orbital bone ahead of Week 6 last year.
What he needs to show in minicamp and in training camp is that he can stay healthy (he suffered a finger injury in the preseason last year) and that his fundamentals have improved. There has never been a question about the quarterback's raw physical ability, but he has lacked good decision-making, and his accuracy has been awful.
Jones hopes to return by Week 1, but no guarantee exists that he will. That means to open the season, Richardson or Riley Leonard could be the starter. If Richardson can show he's better this summer, he could be QB1 at the start of the coming season with a real chance of changing the narrative of his career.
Indianapolis Colts cornerback Jaylon Jones
Jones has had quite the precipitous fall in his career. The 2023 seventh-round choice started 27 games total in his first two seasons. Last year, even before an injury, he wasn't expected to start many, and perhaps none. The team clearly wasn't happy with its cornerback room before 2025 and made changes.
One of those was to sign Charvarius Ward in free agency last offseason, and another was to trade for Sauce Gardner during the season. Jones was no longer battling to start but simply to get reps. Somehow, with less playing time, Jones was even worse than before.
After allowing one touchdown pass in 101 targets in 2024, he gave up two in just 28 targets in 2025. Now, he is likely third-string at cornerback, behind backups Mekhi Blackmon and Cam Taylor-Britt. If Jones doesn't show he is ready to contribute over the summer, he could find himself released before Week 1.
Indianapolis Colts edge rusher Jaylahn Tuimoloau
Tuimoloau was a second-round choice in 2025, but he rarely saw the field. Often, he was a healthy scratch, a sure sign that the rookie was not practicing at the level the Indianapolis Colts would want. He produced very little, though he did seem to maintain a positive attitude throughout.
The team isn't going to quickly give up on the high-round pick, of course; he is certain to be on the roster. What he needs to show is that he has gotten stronger and more mentally prepared for his second season. If not, he will find himself on the bench just as much in year two as in year one.
The Colts chose two edge rushers late in the 2026 draft in the persons of George Gumbs Jr. and Caden Curry, but as poor as Tuimoloau was as a rookie, draft status won't matter moving forward. If he doesn't show major improvement this summer, he could be on the cusp of being off the team by 2027.
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