INDIANAPOLIS — The core of the Colts roster has gone through significant change this offseason.
Indianapolis will be replacing seven starters if the team is able to trade long-time slot Kenny Moore II, including five on the defensive side of the ball.
For the most part, the Colts believe they have been able to plug the holes with younger, faster players, but the pass-rushing defensive end that could have elevated this defense to the next level has been elusive.
Because of those misses, defensive end remains the spot the Colts seem most likely to add to if a starting-caliber player becomes available in the next couple of months. Wide receiver also seems thin beyond Alec Pierce and Josh Downs, and then there’s the matter of trade requests from Anthony Richardson Sr. and Moore.
Predicting a difference-making addition at any position is difficult after the draft. For the moment, here’s a way-too-early guess at how the 53-man roster plays out in August.
2026 Colts 53-man roster projection
* – rookie
Quarterbacks (3)
Daniel Jones, Riley Leonard, Seth Henigan
For the moment, the best bet is that the No. 4 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, Richardson, will be playing elsewhere when the season opens. Richardson’s trade request has gone two months without being fulfilled, but it has long felt like the two sides were headed for a divorce.
Enter Leonard, who played better than anybody expected in the season finale. If the Colts move Richardson, they’ll likely have to add a quarterback to compete with Leonard for the backup job, although the former Notre Dame passer is the odds-on favorite to be the backup.
Running backs (3)
Jonathan Taylor, DJ Giddens, Seth McGowan*
All of the intrigue at the running back position is behind the top spot, where Taylor is coming off the second-most productive season of his career, a 1,585-yard campaign that produced 18 touchdowns.
Taylor’s also coming off the second-highest workload of his career. Indianapolis gave Taylor 323 carries in 2026; the next-highest running back in terms of carries was Giddens, a fifth-round pick a year ago who the Colts liked initially but fell down the depth chart. Giddens now finds himself competing with McGowan, a big, bruising short-yardage option, for carries, although Indianapolis has a couple of intriguing undrafted free agents in Jordon Vaughn and Lincoln Pare.
Wide receivers (6)
Alec Pierce, Josh Downs, Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, Ashton Dulin, Anthony Gould, Deion Burks*
Indianapolis doubled down on Pierce this offseason, trading away Michael Pittman Jr. to make room for Pierce to sign the sort of contract that typically goes to a No. 1 receiver. Downs is established as the team’s slot, and from there, it’s a wide-open battle. Expect the Colts to prioritize special teams, which is why two return men (Gould and Burks) pick up spots on this 53-man roster.
Tight ends (4)
Tyler Warren, Mo Alie-Cox, Drew Ogletree, Will Mallory
The team’s decision to bring back Alie-Cox and Ogletree means the position remains essentially unchanged. With Pittman gone, Warren’s role likely increases in the passing game, creating a need to move him around the formation even more than the Colts did during his rookie season. Alie-Cox and Ogletree are primarily blockers; Mallory served as receiving insurance in case of an injury to Warren.
Offensive linemen (8)
Bernhard Raimann, Quenton Nelson, Tanor Bortolini, Matt Goncalves, Jalen Travis, Jalen Farmer*, Dalton Tucker, Blake Freeland
The starting five seems set.
Or it did until the fourth-round selection of Kentucky guard Jalen Farmer, an athletic guard who projects as a potential starter at some point in his time with offensive line coach Tony Sparano Jr. If Famer surprises by competing for a starting spot right away, the Colts could simultaneously hold a competition to replace Braden Smith. Matt Goncalves, the team’s starting right guard last year, is a natural tackle, although the Colts are high on Smith’s heir apparent, mammoth second-year tackle Jalen Travis.
Indianapolis also needs a backup center after Danny Pinter’s departure, but the Colts have given Tucker snaps there, and the decision to draft Farmer might allow Tucker to learn the position behind Bortolini.
Defensive ends (6)
Laiatu Latu, JT Tuimoloau, Arden Key, Micheal Clemons, George Gumbs Jr.*, Caden Curry*
Indianapolis has a significant hole at the starting spot opposite Latu. Colts general manager Chris Ballard decided to wait until the fifth round to address one of his team’s biggest needs, meaning there is not an obvious starter at the spot left open by a departed Kwity Paye, now in Las Vegas.
From the outside looking into the defensive line room, it seems like an open competition, but Ballard has insisted that the team believes in 2025 second-rounder Jaylahn Tuimoloau, who played only 215 defensive snaps as a rookie but seems ticketed for more. Beyond them, a battle for roster spots and playing time should ensue, although the Colts still do not have the kind of player who elevates the pass rush instantly. Expect Gumbs and Curry to both make the roster because they offer different developmental flavors.
Defensive tackles (5)
DeForest Buckner, Grover Stewart, Adetomiwa Adebawore, Colby Wooden, Derrick Nnadi
The Colts have a couple of low-cost veterans on the roster to compete for spots, but defensive tackle has been set since the start of free agency. Indianapolis believes Buckner will return healthy, likes the progress Adebawore made in a four-sack 2025 and added a versatile piece in Wooden in the Zaire Franklin trade to replace Neville Gallimore. Indianapolis wants a direct backup for Stewart, and Nnadi has played that role in Kansas City for years.
Linebackers (5)
CJ Allen*, Akeem Davis-Gaither, Bryce Boettcher*, Austin Ajiake, Jaylon Carlies
Indianapolis has overhauled the linebacker position this offseason. The Colts drafted Allen to take over Zaire Franklin’s role as the man in the middle, betting that Allen’s speed, leadership and production will be an upgrade over the veteran. From there, Davis-Gaither and Boettcher will battle it out for playing time, although Davis-Gaither likely has the early edge after starting in Arizona.
Cornerbacks (6)
Sauce Gardner, Charvarius Ward, Justin Walley, Cam Taylor-Britt, Mekhi Blackmon, Johnathan Edwards
A year’s worth of work in 2025 has made cornerback the team’s deepest position heading into 2026, but there is a significant question mark about the team’s longest-tenured player. Moore, a stalwart in the Indianapolis secondary for nine seasons, has requested a trade, believing he needs to head in a different direction for the first time in nearly a decade.
If the Colts are able to move Moore, there will be a fierce battle for roster spots. Indianapolis wants to pair Gardner and Ward to play man-to-man heavily, but the injuries that limited the two former All-Pros left the opportunity open for a lot of young cornerbacks to make their name. Indianapolis has sung Walley’s praises throughout the offseason, and Taylor-Britt has big-time untapped potential as a former starter in Cincinnati. Blackmon and Edwards get the final two spots, in large part because Blackmon led the team in snaps at the position last year. The Colts also seemed reluctant to play Jaylon Jones at times last season, opening a door for Edwards to make the roster.
Safeties (4)
Camryn Bynum, AJ Haulcy*, Hunter Wohler, Juanyeh Thomas
Indianapolis addressed the hole in its secondary over the weekend by drafting Haulcy, whose ball-hawking “Mr. Give Me That” persona fits well with Bynum, the team leader in interceptions a year ago.
The rest is tough to handicap. Indianapolis has praised Wohler throughout the offseason, believing he can play a critical role as the team’s dime linebacker. Thomas offers youth, versatility and starting experience in the fourth spot, edging out a pair of veterans in Jonathan Owens and Nasir Adderley.
Specialists (3)
Blake Grupe, Rigoberto Sanchez, Luke Rhodes
Trying to choose between Grupe and Spencer Shrader is a coin flip. Grupe was great after the Colts signed him late last season, burying four kicks from 50 yards or more, and he gets the nod in this space simply because Shrader is rehabilitating a torn ACL and MCL, leaving uncertainty in the spot. Indianapolis believes it has two of the top 32 kickers in the NFL.
Joel A. Erickson and Nathan Brown cover the Colts all season. Get more coverage on IndyStarTV and with the Colts Insider newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Predicting the Colts’ 53-man roster after the NFL Draft
Reporting by Joel A. Erickson, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
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