The Indianapolis Colts haven't won the AFC South since 2014, and the team hasn't made the playoffs since 2020. Under head coach Shane Steichen, the team has never been better than 9-8. He is a brilliant offensive mind, but is he a good leader of an entire team? That isn't fully proven yet.
This likely means that Steichen, a coach who has mastered the ability to not say much about anything to the media, could be out of a job after this coming season, if his team fails to make the postseason yet again. A good head coach can augment his roster, and the Colts have not been without talent.
To succeed in 2026, Steichen needs some help. His team needs to stay healthier than they were last season, but he needs consistent production from his players, too. That very much includes the three players that follow.
Indianapolis Colts quarterback Daniel Jones
The hope is that Jones returns for Week 1 after tearing his Achilles tendon in Week 14 last season. Should he return by early September, that would mean he returned in nine months, a quick recovery. The QB, though, has had three seasons in his career cut short by various injuries. Counting on him to remain healthy for several seasons to come seems foolish.
Even if Jones returns to start the season, Indy needs him to be better than he was before he tore his Achilles. He was playing on a broken fibula before that, but even before that injury, Jones had begun to regress. In his final five games of last year, he had eight turnovers.
It's also easy to forget that after a 7-1 start, the team was on the outside of the playoffs looking in, even before Jones' Achilles tendon tear. Steichen needs his QB1 to play something akin to how he did in the first eight games of last year. Anything less against a tough schedule to start 2026, and the team is likely sunk.
Indianapolis Colts cornerback Sauce Gardner
Gardner's role is trickier. He is the polar opposite of a quarterback. Instead of having the ball in his hands every down, the hope is that Gardner never has a ball thrown in his direction. That would mean he's providing the kind of shutdown coverage the team is paying him for.
The cornerback being brilliant helps the rest of his defense. If he is shutting down half the field to opposing quarterbacks, that means the rest of the secondary has less room they need to cover. This, in turn, should create more turnover possibilities for defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo's unit.
The key is Sauce Gardner staying healthy. He did during his time with the New York Jets before being traded to the Colts midway through last season, but once he got to Indy, he missed four of the eight games he could have played. He must stay healthy for the trade to be worth the move, and to help Shane Steichen stay employed after 2026.
Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Alec Pierce
Pierce has outwardly said all the right things since he was re-signed this offseason to a deal that will pay him for four years and as much as $116 million. Unfortunately, he hasn't yet practiced because he is rehabbing from the ankle surgery he had early in the offseason.
Assuming Pierce is fully healthy and ready to play in Week 1, he has to achieve career-highs as a receiver to not make Indianapolis look foolish for giving him so much money. He has never had a season with more than 47 catches, and only once has he passed 1,000 yards receiving in a season.
He is obviously explosive and likely has been underused in Steichen's scheme, but that must all change in 2026. The team only has two proven wideouts in Pierce and Josh Downs, and if Pierce doesn't become a true QB1, bad things will happen.
Add us as a preferred source on Google