The Indianapolis Colts have certainly suffered far too many injuries this season. Over the second half of the season, the team has plummeted in the standings and might be on the verge of losing all hope for the playoffs.
Other teams, such as the San Francisco 49ers, have had the same kind of problems. They lost starting quarterback Brock Purdy for nearly eight games, and have lost stars Nick Bosa and Fred Warner for the season. The 49ers have kept winning nonetheless. That implies their presumed backups have done well as starters, where the Colts' backups haven't.
One of these players is guard Dalton Tucker. The second-year player has been forced into extended action twice this season, and he has been so bad that he has proven he no longer deserves an Indianapolis roster spot.
Indianapolis Colts cannot afford to keep Dalton Tucker on the team
The first game he played extended reps was in Week 4 against the Los Angeles Rams. He stepped in for Matt Goncalves, and Tucker allowed five total quarterback pressures in 40 pass-block snaps, and he was called for a penalty. After that game alone, Indy should have thought of releasing him.
If they needed further proof to do so, general manager Chris Ballard and head coach Shane Steichen should look no further than Week 16 against San Francisco. Tucker played right guard as Goncalves moved over to right tackle, as starter Braden Smith missed the game after being placed on injured reserve with a concussion.
Against the 49ers, Tucker allowed three total pressures, but two of them were sacks. He was also called for another penalty.
Dalton Tucker's eight quarterback pressures allowed rank sixth among Indianapolis Colts offensive linemen, even though he has only gotten meaningful snaps in two games. He simply is a liability if he has to play, and Indy needs to make sure it avoids the possibility of putting Tucker in.
Still, a decent chance exists that Tucker will play in Week 17 against the Jacksonville Jaguars as Smith remains out. Left tackle Bernhard Raimann will likely return from missing one game with an elbow injury, and that might mean Goncalves can stay at right guard as rookie Jalen Travis plays right tackle.
Travis has been fairly solid playing both right and left tackle in the last few games. Having him play for Smith and Tucker on the bench would certainly give the Colts their best alignment with Smith out. But what is certain is that Dalton Tucker simply shouldn't return in 2026.