After their historic collapse in 2025, the Indianapolis Colts begin the 2026 season with more questions than certainty. There are vital starters returning from injury, including Daniel Jones, Alec Pierce, and DeForest Buckner.
Many of the club's most reliable players over the past five years are gone. Braden Smith and Kenny Moore each started over 100 games for the Colts, and they only represent the longest-tenured of the departures.
Has general manager Chris Ballard done enough to patch all the holes? The Colts began the offseason with questions at linebacker and wide receiver. They needed to add depth along the defensive interior and at running back. The backup quarterback spot was anybody’s guess.
Indianapolis Colts general manager Chris Ballard could still chase these free agents
As the season dawns, all of those positions remain in question. Perhaps players on the roster as it exists today will step up. Perhaps there will still be holes. Ballard can still make adjustments and most likely will throughout the entire season.
His acquisition of defensive back Kapena Gushiken after the final cutdown to 53 players addressed one potential short-term problem, but it also forced the release (and subsequent practice squad signing) of Luke Tenuta, leaving an apparent hole on the offensive line.
After the recent league-wide roster cuts, there are a lot of players, like Gushiken, currently looking for work. Here are three Ballard might want to consider.
3. Will Levis, QB
Levis only really makes sense if the Colts finally move on from Anthony Richardson, and as of now, they do not seem inclined to do that. But should they manage to cut the cord with their former number one draft pick, Levis makes a lot of sense.
The players are similar in many ways. Plus athletes. Big arms. The ability to run. Levis is not as spectacularly gifted as Richardson, but he came into the league with far more experience than Richardson.
Levis was still underdeveloped when he left Kentucky. His 738 college attempts remain a disturbingly low number. Still, it was almost twice what Richardson had attempted in college. Levis wasn’t known for his accuracy, but he was a full ten points better than AR5.
In other words, Will Levis was a standard high-risk, high-reward prospect, as opposed to Richardson, who was an extraordinary gamble. Perhaps Shane Steichen could develop a QB like Levis in a way he has failed to do with Richardson.
2. Elandon Roberts, LB
Roberts has done well for himself. The sixth-round pick in the 2016 draft has played in over 150 NFL games and been on two Super Bowl champions. He is a classic interior run stopper. Now 32, he is not going to wow anyone with his athleticism, but he is a steady, veteran presence.
In other words, he is exactly what the Colts do not have amongst their current batch of linebackers. Roberts has started more NFL games than the Colts' six current linebackers have played in combined.
One day, rookies like CJ Allen and Bryce Boettcher may indeed grow into first-rate performers. But they are far away from that level right now. Having a veteran like Roberts around might help in the short term while also paying long-term dividends.
1. Jerome Ford, RB
Jonathan Taylor needs help. I have written that dozens of times. Anyone who covers the Colts has written that dozens of times. Your grandmother, if she is the type to put her thoughts into writing, has written that dozens of times. DJ Giddens was supposed to provide that support last season. It never materialized. This year, hopes are high for Seth McGowan.
I think McGowan could be the guy to finally let JT get some rest during the season. But he is a seventh-round draft pick who has yet to take the field in a real NFL game. What if he falls short? That’s where Jerome Ford comes in. We know what Ford can do.
He has a four-year track record but is still young enough at 26 to produce consistently and perhaps even improve. Ford will not blow anyone away with speed or shiftiness. He is simply a hard runner who can block, catch, and rarely fumble. He is exactly what the Colts need behind Taylor.
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