The ink isn’t yet dry on the 2025 season, but I’m ready to look ahead. When a franchise endures an epic collapse like the Indianapolis Colts experienced this season, sometimes it is best not to dwell. There will be the necessary postmortems, and there will be changes made, though we are not yet sure how far-ranging they will be.
But I want to look ahead because, as I’ve been preaching throughout this recent maddening slide into the abyss, the Colts have a good roster. There are holes … some of them significant … but compared to many other teams, there is a lot to work with. Especially on offense.
That’s what we’re looking at today. We will try to project the Colts’ starting offense on September 10, 2026, when they are likely to be opening a new campaign.
Projecting the starting offense for the Indianapolis Colts in 2026
Since this little exercise will require making several predictions about personnel moves, I should say right up front that I have no inside info on any plans that may be in place. I don’t imagine Carlie Irsay-Gordon, Chris Ballard, or Shane Steichen have definite plans right now either.
But they will soon. Let’s try to guess what shape those plans might take, at least as they relate to the Colts’ offense in 2026.
We’ll go position by position, beginning with the easiest of them all….
Offensive line: Jalen Travis, Matt Goncalves, Tanor Botolini, Quenton Nelson, Bernhard Raimann
This is the best thing about the Colts going forward. This is a good offensive line. If Travis can step into Braden Smith’s role at right tackle and Goncalves can continue his development at guard, it could be an excellent line. The left side, from center out, is already among the best in the league.
Tight end: Tyler Warren
Big surprise. Warren should only improve with experience. Look for him to become an even bigger part of the offense based on changes that may occur with the outside receivers. Drew Ogletree and Will Mallory will probably be back in reserve, but this might be the end for Mo Alie-Cox.
It’s purely an age thing. Alie-Cox can still play. But I have a feeling Indy might look for a block-first, in-line tight end in the later rounds of the draft, where you can often find solid value.
Wide Receiver: Alec Pierce, Josh Downs, Free Agent TBD
Michael Pittman is under contract next season. He has a big cap hit and a small dead cap hit. The Colts need cash to extend Alec Pierce. This all lines up for Indy to say goodbye to the player with the fifth-most receptions in franchise history.
It seems unlikely they will find a replacement in the draft this season, so they will look to free agency. The current options are not exciting … a player like JuJu Smith-Schuster might be the best low-cost veteran who could serve as a possession receiver.
They also have one very intriguing prospect on the practice squad in Eli Pancol, a UDFA with size. In college, he had a knack for finding holes in short zones and picking up decent yardage. Probably not ready for a starting spot, but could develop behind a free agent stopgap.
Running Back: Jonathan Taylor
An even bigger no-brainer than Warren at tight end. The question is not whether Jonathan Taylor will be the Colts’ primary ball carrier in 2026. It’s whether they can finally find someone – anyone – to serve as a reasonable backup so that Taylor doesn’t have to register 300+ carries yet again.
Perhaps it will be DJ Giddens or Ulysses Bentley IV. Or perhaps someone will be available via free agency. The 49ers' Brian Robinson would be ideal, but he might not be signable.
Quarterback: Riley Leonard
This is obviously the elephant in the room. No realistic prognosis has Daniel Jones ready to play before the middle of next season. I am assuming Indianapolis will re-sign Jones, in part because his injury has washed away any presumed bidding war for his services. But what to do while awaiting his return?
Anthony Richardson remains an option, but it seems far-fetched at this point. It is more likely that the former starter will be traded to try and recoup some of the draft capital that the Colts lost in the Sauce Gardner deal.
Now, full disclosure. I wrote a draft of this before the final game against Houston and said it didn't seem as if Indianapolis trusted Riley Leonard enough to go into the season with him as the starter.
I speculated that Marcus Mariota might be of interest, given his prior relationship with pass game coordinator Alex Tanney. However, after what Leonard did in Week 18, he should be the presumptive starter until Jones is ready to return.