Colts’ Defensive Overhaul: Better or Worse Than 2025?

The Indianapolis Colts entered the 2026 offseason knowing one thing for certain: their defense needed to change.

After a month of free agency and offseason moves, Indy has shuffled its roster, but is it any better than it was before? Let's take a look.

Cornerback

Nov 30, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indianapolis Colts cornerback Sauce Gardner (1) warms up before a game against the Houston Texans at Lucas Oil Stadium. | Robert Goddin-Imagn Images

Starters

Sauce Gardner
Mooney Ward
Justin Walley

Depth

Cam Taylor-Britt
Johnathan Edwards
Mekhi Blackmon
Cameron Mitchell

First things first, I've already taken Kenny Moore II off the roster. The Colts will surely find a trade partner for one of their best cornerbacks before kickoff.

As for the rest of the cornerback room, Sauce Gardner and Mooney Ward are one of the best starting duos in the league. With Moore out of the picture, former third-round pick Justin Walley seems to be in line to start at nickel corner. Lou Anarumo loves his nickel corners, and he must have really liked what he saw from Walley last summer.

Cam Taylor-Britt is the lone new face in the room, and he has a ton of experience with Anarumo. Aside from him, the depth is a tad shaky, but all three guys earned lots of playing time last season while Indy dealt with injuries.

Overall: Better (if healthy)

Safety

Dec 22, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indianapolis Colts safety Cam Bynum (0) celebrates an interception against the San Francisco 49ers in the fourth quarter of the game at Lucas Oil Stadium. | Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

Starters

Cam Bynum
Juanyeh Thomas OR Hunter Wohler

Depth

Daniel Scott
Jonathan Owens
Reuben Lowery III

At safety, there are even more concerns. While Cam Bynum led the team with four interceptions in 2025, the overall group lacks proven, high-end starters.

Juanyeh Thomas showed promise in his limited action with the Dallas Cowboys last season, but he's never been a full-time starter in his career. Hunter Wohler practiced with the first-team defense last offseason, but he has zero professional minutes.

If there are any injuries, Jonathan Owens is a great insurance policy, but beyond that, the rest of the depth chart is severely inexperienced.

Overall: Worse

Defensive End

Indianapolis Colts defensive end Laiatu Latu (97) celebrates a win following a game against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday, Sept. 7, 2025, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. The Colts defeated the Dolphins 33-8. | Christine Tannous/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Starters

Laiatu Latu
Arden Key OR Jaylahn Tuimoloau

Bench

Micheal Clemons
Durrell Nchami

The pass rush is where things start to fall apart.

The Colts lost Kwity Paye and Samson Ebukam, neither of whom had their best seasons in 2025. Ebukam specifically struggled to bounce back to his 2023 form, when he led the Colts with 9.5 sacks.

The Colts also have not re-signed Tyquan Lewis, who is still a free agent. To replace Paye and Ebukam, Indy signed Arden Key and Micheal Clemons. The two of them have mainly been rotational guys, with neither one eclipsing seven sacks in a season.

Overall: Worse

Defensive Tackle

Sep 14, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indianapolis Colts defensive tackle DeForest Buckner (99) celebrates a tackle against Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix (10) during the fourth quarter at Lucas Oil Stadium. | Robert Goddin-Imagn Images

Starters

DeForest Buckner
Grover Stewart

Depth

Derrick Nnadi
Jerry Tillery
Adetomiwa Adebawore
Colby Wooden
Tim Smith

If there’s one area the Colts can still rely on, it’s the interior defensive line.

DeForest Buckner continues to anchor the unit as one of the league’s most disruptive interior defenders. Even as he enters the later stages of his prime, Buckner remains a consistent source of pressure and run defense. Alongside him, Grover Stewart provides a physical presence in the run game, often doing the dirty work that doesn’t show up on the stat sheet.

The Colts also brought in plenty of veteran depth pieces to complement Buckner and Stewart. Derrick Nnadi is a longtime starter for the Kansas City Chiefs, where he helped win multiple Super Bowl rings. Jerry Tillery is another name to watch with 53 career starts under his belt.

Overall: Better

Linebacker

Oct 20, 2024; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indianapolis Colts linebacker Jaylon Carlies (57) sacks Miami Dolphins quarterback Tyler Huntley (18) during a game against the Miami Dolphins at Lucas Oil Stadium. | Grace Hollars/IndyStar USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images-Imagn Images

Starters

Akeem Davis-Gaither
Jaylon Carlies

Depth

Austin Ajiake
John Bullock
Joseph Vaughn

After dealing Zaire Franklin to the Green Bay Packers, the Colts created a void in the heart of their defense. Jaylon Carlies hardly played in 2025 due to injury, but they did bring in a former Anarumo man in Akeem Davis-Gaither.

Aside from Carlies and Davis-Gaither, the depth is extremely shaky. Ajiake, Bullock, and Vaughn all have little to no experience playing at the NFL level. If anyone gets injured, they would be forced to step up.

The room as a whole is inexperienced. The Colts' linebackers struggled with pass coverage last season, so it'll be interesting to see how Indy tries to solve that issue. This month's draft could provide a few options, including Pitt's Kyle Louis, Cinci's Jake Golday, and Mizzou's Josiah Trotter.

Overall: Worse

As a whole, the Colts' defense has gotten noticeably worse. The front seven took multiple hits, especially with the trade of Zaire Franklin. That's not to say that Franklin was playing his best football last season, but he was a captain and leader of the defense. Similarly, Moore was also a leader, so the Colts will need some younger faces to take over in the locker room.

Lots of Indy's biggest weaknesses can be solved in the draft. For now, the defense looks worse on paper, but that could change by the time the season rolls around.

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