Indianapolis Colts

With $36.3M in room now ranked seventh in the league and commitments falling steeply after next season, Indianapolis has real financial leverage to attack its holes in free agency today.

23 contracts expiring

Madden Tools Analysis

Seven starting spots have weak depth behind the starter.

Six picks this cycle with none in the first round after forfeiting it to the Jets, spread across rounds two through seven, give the Colts a workable but unspectacular haul that demands hitting on mid-round selections to fill the roster's many gaps.

• Traded away: Round 1 to Jets, this draft

The roster's clearest strength is its run game and cornerback tandem, while linebacker is the most glaring systemic weakness with both the MIKE and WILL starters ranking in the bottom two at their respective positions league-wide.

• MIKEhigh

  Akeem Davis-Gaither (74 overall) starts at MIKE, giving the Colts the 31st-ranked starter at the position, making this the single most urgent upgrade on the roster.

• REDGEhigh

  JT Tuimoloau (74 overall) is the starter off the right edge, ranking 28th among starting REDGE players and requiring a significant talent infusion.

• RThigh

  Jalen Travis (70 overall) holds the RT spot but ranks dead last among starters at the position, and the entire depth chart there is thin and unproven.

• SShigh

  A.J. Haulcy (74 overall) starts at SS but the unit ranks 31st in starter quality and 30th in depth, leaving the position dangerously exposed.

• WILLhigh

  Bryce Boettcher (70 overall) starts at WILL with the 30th-ranked starter grade, and the linebacker corps as a whole is a systemic weakness that needs addressing.

• QBmedium

  Daniel Jones (76 overall) leads a QB room that ranks 25th in starter quality, meaning the position is a modest but real drag on the offense without a clear heir apparent.

• WRlow

  Alec Pierce (84 overall) leads the receiver room competently, but the group ranks 21st overall and could use a weapon capable of stressing defenses at the top of the route tree.

• 68Laquon TreadwellWRLaquon Treadwell is a 68-overall receiver entering the twilight of his career who sits fourth or lower on the depth chart, and releasing him frees $1.3M against only $180K in dead money.Frees $1.3M · $180.0K dead
• 62Luke TenutaRTLuke Tenuta is a 62-overall RT who ranks as the worst starting right tackle in the league, and cutting him costs nothing in dead money while freeing $1.1M in cap space.Frees $1.1M · $0 dead
• 64D.J. MontgomeryWRD.J. Montgomery is a 64-overall receiver at 29 who does not crack the top three on the depth chart, and his release frees $890K with zero dead money hit.Frees $890.0K · $0 dead
• 71Jonathan OwensFSJonathan Owens is a 71-overall backup free safety behind Camryn Bynum, entering the twilight of his career, and releasing him frees $1.2M against only $180K in dead money.Frees $1.2M · $180.0K dead

Indianapolis is built around an elite run game anchored by Jonathan Taylor and protected by one of the better interior lines in the league, with Quenton Nelson and Tanor Bortolini forming a strong left-side foundation. Sauce Gardner and Charvarius Ward Sr give the secondary genuine star power at corner, and Tyler Warren at tight end is a young Superstar talent who should develop into a featured weapon. The challenge is everywhere else: Daniel Jones is a serviceable but unspectacular starter, the linebackers rank near the bottom of the league, the right tackle situation is the worst among starters in the entire league, and strong safety is nearly as barren. DeForest Buckner and Grover Stewart anchor the defensive line, but both are in the later stages of their careers and cannot be counted on as long-term cornerstones. Charvarius Ward Sr is in a similar position, making succession at his corner spot a real medium-term concern. With $36.3M in cap room ranked seventh in the league and a solid class of six upcoming picks spread across rounds two through seven, the front office has the resources to fill holes in free agency and gradually build through the draft, but the path from competitive to contender requires hitting on multiple needs simultaneously.

The Colts were founded in 1953 in Baltimore, when a group led by Carroll Rosenbloom was awarded the assets of the defunct Dallas Texans. Under coach Weeb Ewbank and quarterback Johnny Unitas (signed 1956), the Colts rose fast, beating the New York Giants 23-17 on December 28, 1958, in the first sudden-death overtime championship, "The Greatest Game Ever Played." They repeated as NFL champions in 1959 and won another NFL title in 1968. After joining the AFC in the merger, they won Super Bowl V after the 1970 season, defeating Dallas 16-13 on Jim O'Brien's late field goal. After the 1972 season the franchise was sold to Robert Irsay, and in March 1984 Irsay relocated the team to Indianapolis in the infamous "Mayflower Midnight" move. The Peyton Manning era began with the No. 1 overall pick in 1998 and became the greatest stretch in franchise history: 11 playoff appearances, an NFL-record seven straight 12-win seasons (2003-09), and, under coach Tony Dungy, a Super Bowl XLI win after the 2006 season, 29-17 over the Chicago Bears. Manning missed 2011 with neck surgery, and the team drafted Andrew Luck first overall in 2012. Luck led a division-title revival before injuries forced his shocking 2019 retirement. The recent era has been defined by quarterback instability and a playoff drought dating to 2020.