The Indianapolis Colts will enter the 2026 season as one of the higher spenders on the defensive side of the football.
According to Over the Cap, the Colts have $146.342 million in salary cap space devoted to the defense. Compared to the rest of the NFL, this is the 11th most entering the new season.
The Pittsburgh Steelers lead the NFL in spending on defense at $195.452 million.
Contributing to the Colts being relatively big spenders is that five of their nine largest cap hits in 2026 belong to defenders, including two of the top three.
Colts’ largest salary cap hits on defense in 2026
Overall, the Colts’ spending on defense is very top-heavy. While those five players account for a large portion of the salary cap space on that side of the ball, there are also a number of expected contributors on rookie deals that balance out those larger cap hits. This includes Laiatu Latu, Jaylahn Tuimoloau, CJ Allen, Bryce Boettcher, Jaylon Carlies, Justin Walley, and AJ Haulcy.
With there being five potential new starters on defense this season, several of which have little to no NFL experience, it will be important that those defenders who are earning the big bucks produce at a high level. Those are the players who will determine the ceiling of this unit.
This article originally appeared on Colts Wire: Colts enter 2026 among biggest salary cap spenders on defense
Reporting by Paul Bretl, Colts Wire / Colts Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Paul Bretl, Colts Wire | USA TODAY Network
