The names of many Indianapolis Colts heading into 2026 can be penciled in. One spot that still has no clear answers, though, is inside linebacker. Instead of two definite starters, Indy might not even know its top four at the position, though hopefully preseason Week 2 against the Atlanta Falcons can clear up the issue.
The hope was that rookie (and second-round choice) CJ Allen would come into training camp, show he is not only a high-end starter but also be the green dot on defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo's unit. Instead, Allen has dealt with two injuries through much of camp, and mostly hasn't been running with the first-team defense since he returned.
Meanwhile, fellow rookie Bryce Boettcher has been fantastic, except for one key area: He might not have the speed to play pass coverage well. He did in college at Oregon, but the difference in speed between the college ranks and the NFL is immense.
Inside linebacker is the position to watch in preseason Week 2 for the Indianapolis Colts
Veteran Akeem Davis-Gaither might have made enough of an argument for himself as a good run-stopper that he will earn one of the two spots as a starter. He hasn't shown in his career that he can be counted on to be a long-term starter, but he is among the best of what Indy currently has.
What he lacks in coverage skills (and he isn't awful there), he makes up for in great physicality when stuff the run. In an Anarumo system, that is an absolute must, and Davis-Gaither has shown enough consistency in camp for the team to trust him.
Jaylon Carlies has been injured quite a bit in his career, but he does possess good coverage skills, and he played safety in college. How well he can hold up against the run is still in question, however. In fact, even his ability to be available for most games still needs to be proven, too.
Carlies and Davis-Gaither do expose part of the issue for the Indianapolis Colts at inside linebacker. If two players could be combined, one elite linebacker might emerge, but that is, of course, impossible. The team has rotated off-ball linebackers throughout camp and the preseason so far, and that might need to continue during the real games depending on the situation.
Perhaps the player who could control his own fate in the final two preseason games is Austin Ajiake. In camp, he has done fairly well against the run and pass. That flexibility might help him earn a starting spot until someone else can unseat him. The team likely hopes that will be CJ Allen, but that might not need to happen before Week 1 against the Baltimore Ravens.
Add us as a preferred source on Google