The numbers don’t lie. For the 2025 NFL season, the Indianapolis Colts finished ninth in the league in total offense. They were eighth in points-scored and seventh in yards-per-play. Despite a precipitous drop-off in the second half of the season, the Colts still had a quality offense.
On defense, it was a different story. 23rd in total defense. 21st in points-allowed. 16th in yards-per-play. Perhaps not a catastrophe, especially considering the debilitating injuries suffered by multiple members of the secondary throughout the whole season. But still, it’s easy to see that the Colts’ defense is lagging behind the offense.
That reality appears to have been confirmed in the latest player rankings from ESPN.com. Seth Walder recently chose the top 100 MVP candidates from across the entire league. Three Colts’ players made the cut.
Three Indianapolis Colts’ offensive players make prestigious ESPN list
For a 32-team league, having three players in the top 100 is pretty much dead center, which is a reasonable description of where Indy stands right now. The fact that all three Colts’ selections came from the offensive side of the ball makes it pretty clear where GM Chris Ballard needs to focus his attention this offseason.
The three Colts selected for the list were quarterback Daniel Jones (number 45), left guard Quenton Nelson (number 63), and running back Jonathan Taylor (number 91). Other potential representatives like rookie tight end Tyler Warren and center Tanor Bortolini did not make the cut.
Had Walder been compiling his list at midseason, Jones would have certainly been higher than 45. His stock fell in the second half due to slightly diminished play and, of course, the Achilles tear that ended his season in Week 14, and which threatens his 2026 season as well.
On Walder’s list, he finishes as the 12th-ranked QB, which isn’t too bad. However, it should be noted that he trails both Trevor Lawrence and CJ Stroud in his own division.
The reliable Quenton Nelson is the third-highest-rated guard, after Chicago’s Joe Thuney (number 44) and Denver’s Quinn Meinerz (number 52). As he has been throughout his entire professional career, Nelson is a rock upon which a very good offense can be built.
Taylor’s ranking at 91 may seem low, especially considering he led the league in touchdowns and was a legitimate MVP candidate at midseason. Walder simply did not appear to value running backs very highly in his list. Taylor was the sixth and final RB to be included. The top back – Atlanta’s Bijan Robinson – finished at number 46, one spot behind Jones.
(For those of you wondering about Tyler Warren, there was an even more pronounced dismissal of tight ends. Though Arizona’s Trey McBride finished at number 20, there was only one other tight end ranked. That was the 49er’s George Kittle, who didn’t show up until number 86.)
It would have been encouraging to see the name of a Colts’ defender in the top 100, but it’s hard to make a case for any of them. Laiatu Latu was Indy’s best defensive player in 2025, and the lowest-rated edge in the top 100 was the Giants’ Brian Burns, who had twice as many sacks as Latu in 2025.
Latu is clearly a player around whom Ballard can build, and there are several other good pieces on the defensive side of the ball. But if these MVP rankings show anything, it is that the Colts need to add a lot of talent to that side of the ball, as quickly as possible.