The Indianapolis Colts have set their 2026 roster, and hopefully it is one that will turn into a playoff-caliber squad. The team has some high-end performers, but just like most years under defensive coordinator Chris Ballard, depth is a real concern.
This was compounded by some interesting decisions when trimming the roster to 53. Perhaps some of the players let go can return to the practice squad and be elevated as needed, up to three times, for game days.
Otherwise, fans might be asking why Ballard made some of the moves he did. His job is on the line, after all, so let's hope he made a wise decision in keeping or releasing the players below.
Indianapolis Colts fans might be asking why Chris Ballard made some interesting roster decisions
Why did the Colts keep offensive lineman Dalton Tucker?
Keeping Tucker is even stranger after the team traded for center Sedrick Van Pran-Granger ahead of roster cuts. The team must view Tucker as a swing guard instead of solely a center, and that is the most positive approach for fans asking why this move happened.
Tucker was terrible in preseason Week 3 in the first half when he played center, struggling with simply snapping the ball. He cannot be trusted in real games to do so, and this is why Van Pran-Granger was added. But can Tucker be any better at guard?
He hasn't been in his career, allowing eight total pressures, including two sacks, in just 86 pass-block reps in 2025. In 279 pass-block reps in 2024, he allowed 24 total pressures. In both seasons, he was predominantly a right guard. Why he stuck on the active roster only Chris Ballard can try to explain.
Why did the Colts release Colby Wooden?
This move was even stranger, as Wooden was having what appeared to be a good camp and decent preseason. He was also all that the Colts got back when Zaire Franklin was traded to the Green Bay Packers this past offseason. Ultimately, Franklin was traded for nothing and was simply a salary dump.
Instead of Wooden, Indianapolis chose to keep Tim Smith and Jerry Tillery. Tillery has been in the NFL since 2019, is on his fifth team, and hasn't been good. Based on previous performances, Wooden would have been the far safer bet to keep than Tillery.
The season will decide if Ballard was correct in his roster decision. At first glance, the move makes zero sense.
Why did the Colts keep Laquon Treadwell over Anthony Gould?
Treadwell is decent on special teams, but not much of a receiver, and yet he keeps making the roster every season for the Indianapolis Colts. He is also now 31 years old, and likely closer to the end of his career than the beginning. He was a first-round draft pick for the Minnesota Vikings in 2016, and a bust.
Gould is 25 years old and hasn't offered much as a receiver either. What he does that Treadwell doesn't, however, is return kicks and punts, and he has been pretty good in that aspect. Releasing him means the team will have to find another player (or players) who fit the same role.
One might have thought the safer bet would have been to keep a player who is six years younger than the other and can be more of a contributor in the third phase of the game. Maybe Indy is hoping Gould lands on the practice squad.
Add us as a preferred source on Google