The Indianapolis Colts have a new defensive tackle in Colby Wooden. The Colts acquired him in a trade with the Packers that sent linebacker Zaire Franklin to Green Bay.
The addition of Wooden will bolster the Colts’ defensive tackle rotation, and at 25 years old, he fits the mold of “younger and faster,” which GM Chris Ballard said was going to be an offseason priority on the defensive side of the ball.
Here are three things to know about the newest member of the Colts.
Colby Wooden’s 2025 season
After playing fewer than 300 snaps in his first two seasons, Wooden took on a much larger role in 2025, playing 622 snaps, while making 16 starts.
At around 300 pounds, Wooden was primarily utilized as a run defender. He ranked 38th out of 146 defensive tackles in PFF’s run-stop rate metric, but mustered just 14 pressures as a pass rusher.
What will Colby Wooden’s role be with the Colts?
Considering how he was utilized in Green Bay, Wooden will be a rotational member of the Colts’ defensive front behind DeForest Buckner and Grover Stewart. As a run defender, he will be the next man up behind Stewart, while Adetomiwa Adebawore fills a more pass-rush-specific role.
Salary cap impact of this trade
By trading Franklin, the Colts cleared $5.75 million in cap space for the 2026 season. With Wooden, who is in the final year of his rookie deal, the Colts inherit a base salary of $1.14 million this season.
The difference between those two cap hits now has the Colts out of the red with a small cap surplus of $154,289, according to Over the Cap. More space will still have to be made in order to be active in free agency.
This article originally appeared on Colts Wire: 3 things to know about new Colts DT Colby Wooden
Reporting by Paul Bretl, Colts Wire / Colts Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
