The Indianapolis Colts didn't have a first-round pick in 2026 because of the Sauce Gardner trade. That meant Georgia linebacker CJ Allen would be the team's highest selection in the 2026 NFL Draft and, as such, was expected to help right away.
Fast forward to today, and the young second-round pick — who also drew first-round grades — has played a grand total of 16 defensive snaps. He's been a healthy scratch twice this season, including in the latest game.
According to defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo, this isn't a performance-based issue but something more specific to the position. He sees Allen exclusively as a MIKE linebacker and, as such, won't play meaningful snaps for as long as Akeem Davis-Gaither is there.
Lou Anarumo and the Indianapolis Colts are messing with CJ Allen's development
"Akeem's playing well right now. We were playing well," Anarumo said. "C.J.'s getting better each week in practice, so he will get his opportunities. Again, things are going well. The play count was low at one point, so there was no need to rest Akeem, so we just let it as-is. But (I'm) not down on C.J. He's working his tail off. He'll have his opportunity."
This makes sense to a degree and, to be fair, as much as the Colts claimed Allen would carry the green dot right off the bat, he missed time with an injury and looked terrible in the preseason. Also, having the defensive quarterback rotate in and out of the field can lead to miscommunication and pre-snap issues.
Nevertheless, this can't help but feel like a waste of a rookie season. He's healthy, and he's only going to get better by playing. Yes, he can make splash plays in practice here and there, but it will never be the same, especially for defensive players.
Allen sat and watched Austin Ajiake play his first snaps as a Colt in London. Thus far, only rookie undrafted free agent Tahj Chambers has played fewer snaps than him on defense among the team's linebackers.
As things stand now, the Colts want to have rookie Bryce Boettcher and Jaylon Carlies as WILL linebackers, with the veteran handling things right in the middle of the defense's second level. Davis-Gaither is already familiar with Anarumo's infamously complex system, and he's admittedly played well, but it feels like this is a disservice to a higher-upside player.
To be fair, the Colts' defense has looked much more in sync and organized with him receiving play calls instead of Cam Bynum, but still. This feels like the coaches are more focused on saving their own jobs than on what's best for the team's future.
Of course, it's still early in the season, and things can always change, especially if they start losing. Also, to their credit, they're the ones watching th e guys every day in practice, and perhaps Allen is still further behind in his development than anticipated.
Whatever the case, watching the team's first guy off the board barely play and struggle so much when he's actually on the field has been a major disappointment. Barring a change, he'll be yet another failed defensive selection to add to Chris Ballard's résumé.
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