Colts Spent Top Dollar For Their 2026 UDFA Class

The Indianapolis Colts are entering amake-or-break year for their regime, with expectations set to make the playoffs, or else.

With that being said, the Colts have been in the market for ready-made contributors, whether that be via free agency or the NFL Draft. From proven veterans to fresh rookies, Indianapolis has been operating with the vision that whoever is added to the mix will be providing more immediate contributions as opposed to betting on their development for future results.

The Colts certainly focused on adding day-one difference-makers with their draft haul that brought eight new rookies to the fold. Although their 2026 draft class is largely comprised of players who will battle it out for important roles as rookies, we can't forget about the oft-disregarded UDFA class.

Undrafted rookie classes are almost always viewed as low-risk, high-reward signings who are meant to serve as either immediate depth or future development plans that are stashed on the practice squad for the early stage of their respective career.

As for the Indianapolis Colts' 2026 UDFA Class, more of the latter seems to be the case. The Colts spent top dollar on half of their 14-man class, resulting in top 10 guaranteed money spent on undrafted rookies.

Player	Position	Guaranteed Money
West Weeks	Linebacker	$286.5k
Austin Brown	Safety	$272.5k
Cam Ball	Defensive Line	$272.5K
Geno VanDeMark	Center	$240k
Nolan Rucci	Offensive Tackle	$210k
Mitchell Melton	Defensive End	$130k
Carson Towt	Tight End	$120k
Tahj Chambers	Linebacker	$20k
Sahmir Hagans	Wide Receiver	$15k
Raylen Sharpe	Wide Receiver	$10k
Lincoln Pare	Running Back	$10k
Jordon Vaughn	Running Back	$5k
Anderson Castle	Running Back
E.J. Horton	Wide Receiver

The Colts spent the 12-most money among all NFL teams for their undrafted draft class, according to Spotrac.

This 12-man UDFA class (14, including former college basketball player Carson Towt and originally-signed running back Jordon Vaughn, who has since been released for Anderson Castle) is one of 24 classes to sign 10+ players; therefore, the total value was naturally going to be higher.

However, the Colts' guaranteed money allotted was the differentiator that points towards their conviction of the class in question. In total, the Colts guaranteed $1.591 million to their UDFA class, which is the 8th-most among all NFL teams.

The Kansas City Chiefs had the biggest UDFA class of the cycle with 22 signings of undrafted rookies, and as a result, spent the most guaranteed money among all teams, dishing out a whopping $3.08 million at signing.

The Colts guaranteed $200k+ to five undrafted rookies, which is the same amount of players they guaranteed <$100k to. Tight end Carson Towt and defensive end Mitchell Melton serve as the two UDFA signings who earning somewhere in the middle, whereas wide receiver E.J. Horton and recently signed running back Anderson Castle were the lone signings to not receive guaranteed money.

UDFA Outlook

CB S — Indianapolis Colts head coach Shane Steichen speaks with General Manager Chris Ballard before the first day of training camp practice Wednesday, July 26, 2023, at Grand Park Sports Complex in Westfield, Indiana. | Mykal McEldowney/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK

With their collective back against the wall, general manager Chris Ballard and Co. have taken each opportunity to strengthen the Colts' roster as they look to make the playoffs for the third time in Ballard's nine-year tenure, or better yet, win the AFC South for the first time.

The Colts spending top money on their UDFA class is no doubt a byproduct of their lacking roster altogether, but it also speaks to their conviction of their undrafted rookies, especially those who received the most guaranteed money.

The most guaranteed money spent on a given draft prospect often points to a necessary move that suggests multiple teams were in the mix for their services following the draft. These top-earning UDFAs get so much attention following the draft because they were viewed as draftable players from the interested teams in question, but after plans changed and/or hands were forced, pivoting to the UDFA market results in such a bidding war.

That is likely the case for several of the aforementioned Colts undrafted rookies who netted top money, and it goes to show how much belief they have in their class, particularly as potential special teams contributors. Don't be surprised if multiple of the Colts' UDFAs stick around in some fashion once the roster has been finalized later this summer.

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