Among the many moves the Indianapolis Colts made at the roster cut deadline was to send defensive lineman Colby Wooden packing. Why? Who knows? He was the only player Indy got back in the trade that sent Zaire Franklin to the Green Bay Packers.
More importantly, Wooden had a decent camp and flashed an ability to pressure quarterbacks in a way he never did in Green Bay. His reward was to be released, but he did not go undervalued. While still on waivers, he was claimed by the New Orleans Saints and will therefore be part of the Saints' active roster this season.
Indianapolis will probably regret the move. Interior defensive line starters DeForest Buckner and Grover Stewart are good when healthy, but both are well past 30 years old. Each could be entering their final year with the Colts. Wooden might have been a long-term replacement.
Surprise Indianapolis Colts release Colby Wooden claimed by the New Orleans Saints
If nothing else, he would have been a quality backup for many years. But the truth is that general manager Chris Ballard isn't really making moves for a few years from now; he is making them for this season. Not just in the hopes his team will be very good, but to save his job.
If Indianapolis doesn't make the postseason this coming season, Ballard could be let go. Colts owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon has talked about having a greater sense of urgency in 2026 (though, to be fair, well-run organizations have a sense of urgency every season and don't need to wait until the team has missed the playoffs five straight years), and that means Ballard needs to win.
The GM has been on his job since 2017, and in that time he has brought in some high-end talent, but while he knows a few good starters, he isn't good with depth. If anyone needed further proof of that fact, they just need to take a look at the release of Colby Wooden. He should still be with the team.
To be sure, he wasn't a great producer for the Packers in his first three seasons in the league, but he appeared to be in a different form in training camp. His release implies the Indianapolis Colts were never really sold on him being on the roster, making the trade of Zaire Franklin a pure salary dump.
If the plan was for the Colts to keep Wooden and they didn't, then one could call into question how Chris Ballard views players. He might have seen something in Wooden that didn't turn out to be the case once the player was in Indianapolis.
If Colby Wooden has a good season with the New Orleans Saints, then Ballard will look even worse. That won't matter, though, if the Colts don't make the playoffs. A new general manager will likely be in charge in Indy.
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