The Indianapolis Colts are facing a make-or-break season for many employees with the organization. No playoffs would probably mean that the general manager and head coach are no longer with the team next offseason. Some fan-favorite players might be gone, too.
Such is life in the difficult business of the NFL. Underperformance results in change. That said, even if Indy makes the postseason this coming season (fingers crossed), changes will still occur. Attrition happens even with the best of teams.
Chris Ballard said many times this offseason that he wanted the team to get younger and more athletic. That didn't happen in full. Next offseason, it might be a must.
Indianapolis Colts fan favorites who might be spending their final season with the team
Wide receiver Ashton Dulin
Dulin just turned 29 years old, and while he's been a good special teams player, he's never been a productive wide receiver. The problem this coming season, after the team traded veteran Michael Pittman Jr., is that Dulin is suddenly being relied upon to be far more productive as WR3.
Can he be? No historical statistical basis exists for that hope. His best season is 2022 when he had just 207 yards receiving and 15 catches. Expecting him to spike greatly in 2026 is likely foolish. If he doesn't, however, the offense will suffer.
The team will probably need to find multiple wide receivers next offseason, and the need to keep Dulin won't exist. He's worked hard in his career, and again, he will make somewhat of an impact on special teams, but the team has bigger needs to fill.
Defensive lineman Grover Stewart
Syewart is a high-end grinder and has been the kind of player every team needs. He will turn 33 during the season, and he is more of a pure run-stopper now that he is able to help much in pressuring quarterbacks.
While he has stayed remarkably healthy during his career (he has never missed a game with an injury, though he missed six in 2023 for violating the league's performance-enhancing substance policy), assuming an aging player will continue to stay that way is not wise.
Not that that is why Stewart could very well be entering the final year of his Colts deal. The team simply needs to get younger and more athletic, and that includes finding interior defensive linemen who can get pressure on quarterbacks. Stewart no longer does that.
Tight end Mo Alie-Cox
Alie-Cox turned himself stunningly into an efficient NFL player even though he never played football in college. He was a basketball player, one who Indianapolis liked because of his athletic ability. While he's never been exceedingly productive as a receiver, he understands his role well and is a great blocker.
He faces the same issue as Stewart, though. Alie-Cox will turn 33 early in the season, and at some point, the Indianapolis Colts have to stop keeping aging players around who only fit one facet of the offense. The team needs more athletic tight ends.
If the season goes south, and as a result, head coach Shane Steichen and general manager Chris Ballard aren't retained past this season. Alie-Cox will probably be on his way out, too. The offense will go in a different direction, and the tight end will probably no longer be a fit.
Defensive lineman DeForest Buckner
It likely crossed Buckner's mind last season that he might not be playing much longer. He suffered a neck injury and only played in one more game after Week 9. He's made a lot of money in his career, and he probably could retire and never have to work another day in his life. Risking himself to a life-altering neck injury is not good.
Still, he remains a fantastic and well-rounded defensive lineman, and the Colts need him. But at 32 years old and coming off two straight injury-altered seasons, Bucker could be eyeing the end.
Like Grover Stewart, at some point, the Colts have to get younger along the defensive line. That might mean a temporary reduction in quality as younger players tend to make more mistakes, but in the long term, a turnover in rotation would be the right move.
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