Indianapolis Colts

Solid cap room right now at $31.9M ranked 9th, with a major financial runway opening next year at $73.2M ranked 13th, but $15.0M in dead money and 38 expiring contracts mean plenty of decisions are coming fast.

38 contracts expiring

Madden Tools Analysis

Six starting spots have weak depth behind the starter.

Six picks this season with no first-rounder available after forfeiting it to the Jets, but two first-rounders are banked across the three-year window of 20 total picks, giving the rebuild a real foundation.

• Traded away: Round 1 to Jets, this draft

The roster's top strength is a cornerback group anchored by Sauce Gardner and Charvarius Ward Sr., while the linebackers represent the weakest spot, with both the MIKE and WILL starters ranking near the bottom of the league.

• MIKEhigh

  The starting middle linebacker ranks 31st in the league at the position, making it the most urgent defensive priority on the roster.

• REDGEhigh

  JT Tuimoloau is the depth-chart starter but the position ranks 30th in starter quality, so adding a proven edge rusher on the right side is critical.

• RThigh

  Jalen Travis holds the starting spot, but the position ranks 31st in starter grade and 25th in depth, making right tackle the most glaring offensive line hole.

• SShigh

  A.J. Haulcy starts at strong safety with the unit ranking 29th in starter grade and last in depth at 28th, so upgrading this spot should be a secondary priority.

• WILLhigh

  Akeem Davis-Gaither leads a linebacker unit that ranks 30th in starter quality at WILL, pairing with the MIKE weakness to create a linebackers corps that needs a full overhaul.

• QBlow

  Daniel Jones is the depth-chart starter and ranks 20th in starter grade, a manageable concern compared to the critical needs elsewhere but still worth monitoring.

• RGlow

  Matt Goncalves starts at right guard and the team ranks a respectable 4th in depth at the position, so this is a low-priority need despite the middling starter grade.

• WRlow

  Alec Pierce leads the receiver room at 84 overall and depth ranks 13th, making this a secondary need rather than a pressing one.

• 62Easton StickQBEaston Stick is the third-string quarterback at 62 overall and his release carries no dead money while freeing $1.1M, making him a clean cap trim with no depth consequence.Frees $1.1M · $0 dead
• 60Josh SillsRGJosh Sills is the third option at left guard and does not appear in the active right guard depth behind Goncalves and Farmer, so releasing him frees $1.1M with zero dead money.Frees $1.1M · $0 dead
• 59Jimmy MorrisseyCJimmy Morrissey is the third-string center behind Bortolini and VanDeMark at 59 overall, and his cut clears $1.1M with no dead money attached.Frees $1.1M · $0 dead
• 63Sean McKeonTESean McKeon is the third tight end on the depth chart at 63 overall, and releasing him frees $1.2M with no dead money to create room for a more productive add.Frees $1.2M · $0 dead
• 73Jaylon JonesCBJaylon Jones is the fourth corner at 73 overall behind Gardner, Ward Sr., and Taylor-Britt, and his release frees $3.7M against only $20K in dead money, making it the best cap-value cut on the board.Frees $3.7M · $20.0K dead

The Colts are built around a handful of legitimate stars but are held back by serious holes at premium positions. Jonathan Taylor at 96 overall gives the offense a genuine focal point, and the offensive line has a strong left side in Quenton Nelson and Bernhard Raimann, though Nelson is entering the later stage of his career and a succession plan at left guard needs to develop. Sauce Gardner and Charvarius Ward Sr. form one of the better corner tandems in the league, but Ward Sr. is in the late stage of his career and the linebacker corps sitting near the bottom of the league in starter quality undermines what should be a stout defense headlined by DeForest Buckner. Buckner himself is among the oldest at his position and will need a successor in the coming years. Tyler Warren at tight end and Tanor Bortolini at center are 24-year-old Superstar and Star dev traits, respectively, who give the franchise a genuine young core to build around. Daniel Jones is the starter at quarterback and ranks outside the top half of starters league-wide, so the position deserves attention. With $31.9M in cap room ranked 9th in the league and next year's projected space jumping to $73.2M ranked 13th, the team has a clear financial window opening to address its needs aggressively in the near future.

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.