Colts Position Groups That Got Better and Worse in Free Agency

The Indianapolis Colts entered the 2026 offseason in a complicated position with multiple key players hitting the open market following a disastrous seven-game collapse to end the 2025 season.

The Colts made it a priority to bring back their two top in-house free agents in Daniel Jones and Alec Pierce, but a football team is more than the quarterback and wide receiver. Across the board, the Colts' roster has gotten noticeably worse.

Let's take a look at where the Colts have improved and where they've regressed in March.

Wide Receiver: Top-heavy and thinner overall

Jan 4, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Alec Pierce (14) catches a touchdown pass against the Houston Texans during the first half at NRG Stadium. | Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

Pierce will step into a WR1 role after the Colts handed him a four-year, $114 million deal. The team traded Michael Pittman Jr. to the Pittsburgh Steelers to create cap space, but in doing so, they made the wide receiver room much thinner.

Pierce and Josh Downs will be the team's top two wide receiver targets, with Nick Westbrook-Ikhine joining the group. Westbrook-Ikhine has never had a season with more than 500 receiving yards.

Overall, this group has arguably gotten worse. While Pierce is ascending, he still needs to take that next step, and losing Pittman leaves the room less complete.

Interior Defensive Line: Lots of veteran depth

There were some concerns regarding the future of DeForest Buckner entering this offseason, but all signs point toward the veteran returning for a seventh season with Indy.

Buckner and Grover Stewart will hold down the fort in the heart of the defensive line, and Indy brought in veterans like Jerry Tillery and Derrick Nnadi as insurance policies behind the two.

If any group has improved this offseason, it's the interior defensive line.

Edge Rushers: Depth replacements

The Colts lost former first-round pick Kwity Paye and veteran Samson Ebukam in free agency. To replace them, Ballard signed Arden Key and Micheal Clemons, two players who have never recorded more than seven sacks in a season.

The Colts' lone proven rusher is Laiatu Latu, who still needs to find that next gear to be worth his first-round draft tag. As of now, it looks like the Colts will bank on Latu becoming the first Indy player with double-digit sacks in a season since Justin Houston did it in 2019.

Through three weeks of signings, this group has undoubtedly gotten worse.

Cornerback: Re-signings and familiar face for Anarumo

The Colts' cornerback room was already one of the best in the league with Sauce Gardner and Mooney Ward, but the addition of Cam Taylor-Britt gives Indy a much-needed insurance policy.

Ward suffered three concussions in three months last season, and there were concerns that he would hang up his cleats for good. Instead, he plans on returning, meaning Colts fans could finally get a good look at what a Gardner/Ward secondary would look like.

Overall, I would say cornerback has improved through three weeks.

Linebacker: Major step backwards

The Colts traded Zaire Franklin and lost Segun Olubi in free agency, creating a massive gap at linebacker.

Indy signed former Cincinnati Bengals draft pick Akeem Davis-Gaither to fill one of the starting roles, and they'll likely address the position with one of their first few picks in this year's draft.

The Colts must find a starter-level linebacker to pair alongside Davis-Gaither, otherwise the middle of the field will be a liability of defense once again.

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