The NFL Draft is in the rearview mirror, with the Indianapolis Colts making eight selections to retool their roster. The team has now turned its attention to signing undrafted free agents, while also resuming OTAs. As Indy finalizes its UDFA list, let’s take a look at the team’s updated depth chart with the addition of eight former Power 4 players via the draft.

Note: (R) = rookie

Quarterbacks

Starter: Daniel Jones

Reserves: Riley Leonard, Anthony Richardson Sr., Seth Henigan

Unlike last year at this time, Jones is the Colts’ unquestioned starter. It’s just a matter of when he’ll officially resume that role on the field. Jones is months removed from surgery to repair the ruptured right Achilles tendon he suffered in early December. As he continues rehabbing, Leonard is poised to take most of the first-team reps during spring practice, and there’s a real chance that he could start in Week 1 in September if Jones needs more time to recover.

Richardson, meanwhile, is in a precarious position with the franchise. His February trade request has gone unfulfilled, and he remains away from the team. The Colts have until Friday to pick up the fifth-year option on his rookie contract, which is worth a fully guaranteed $22.5 million in 2027, per Over the Cap. General manager Chris Ballard recently said he hadn’t even thought about exercising Richardson’s fifth-year option, which is a polite way of saying the Colts would never give that kind of money to the underwhelming 2023 No. 4 pick.

The question that gets louder by the day is a simple one: Will the Colts ultimately cut their highest-drafted player since Andrew Luck? It would be a terrible look for the franchise, but it may be best for both sides to move on, especially if Richardson’s return to the team would likely be in a third-string role.

Running backs

Starter: Jonathan Taylor

Reserves: DJ Giddens, Seth McGowan (R), Ulysses Bentley IV

Taylor is coming off his third Pro Bowl selection after rushing for 1,585 yards and 18 touchdowns in 2025. He was remarkably durable last season, appearing in every game and never popping up on the injury report. Taylor, 27, is entering the final year of his contract, and it doesn’t sound like the Colts intend to dial back his workload.

Indy, however, could still use some insurance behind Taylor, and Giddens and McGowan are poised to compete for the backup role. Giddens, a 2025 fifth-round pick, logged only 26 carries for 96 yards as a rookie. Meanwhile, McGowan, a seventh-round pick this year, rushed for 725 yards and 12 touchdowns at Kentucky in 2025.

Tight ends

Starters: Tyler Warren, Mo Alie-Cox

Reserves: Drew Ogletree, Will Mallory, Sean McKeon, Carson Towt

Warren, a 2025 first-round pick, had an impressive rookie campaign with 76 catches for 817 yards and five total TDs. He’s in line for an even bigger role in the passing game after the Colts traded veteran wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr., who led the team in receptions four of the last five years, to the Pittsburgh Steelers last month.

The Colts retained Alie-Cox on a one-year deal in free agency. He remains one of the better blocking tight ends in the NFL, with Olgetree offering a similar skill set. Indy took a flyer on Towt, a former Notre Dame basketball player who has never played football before. It’ll be interesting to monitor his transition to the NFL, though, at best, he’ll be on the practice squad in 2026.

Wide receivers

Starters: Alec Pierce, Josh Downs, Ashton Dulin

Reserves: Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, Deion Burks (R), Laquon Treadwell, Anthony Gould, Eli Pancol, Coleman Owen

The Colts rewarded Pierce with a four-year, $114 million contract last month. He’ll take over as the team’s No. 1 receiver in the absence of Pittman. Pierce is sidelined after recently undergoing ankle surgery, but he’s expected to return during training camp in July. Downs should get more targets this season, too, as the 2023 third-round pick enters the final year of his rookie deal.

Dulin, a star gunner, slots in as Indy’s third receiver for now, but that role is very much up for grabs. Free-agent signee Westbrook-Ikhine, 29, is coming off a down year with the Miami Dolphins, but he offers veteran experience with 19 career receiving TDs. Burks, a seventh-round pick this year, is an undersized but explosive wideout who is capable of breaking a game open with his speed (4.30-second 40-yard dash) and impressive contact balance that allows him to often pick up yards after the catch.

Offensive linemen

Starters: LT Bernhard Raimann, LG Quenton Nelson, C Tanor Bortolini, RG Matt Goncalves, RT Jalen Travis

Reserves: C Jimmy Morrissey, G Jalen Farmer (R), G Dalton Tucker, G Josh Sills, G LaDarius Henderson, G Bill Murray, OT Blake Freeland, OT Luke Tenuta, OT Jack Wilson, OT Bayron Matos

Braden Smith was the Colts’ starting right tackle since 2018, but he joined the Houston Texans in free agency. Travis, a 2025 fourth-round pick, is poised to take over as the full-time starter in 2026 after starting the last four games in 2025 while Smith was injured. Farmer’s arrival, though, could shake things up. Ballard said he expects the team to “mix and match” its offensive line during training camp, which suggests Farmer could see the field sooner rather than later.

If there were going to be changes to the starting unit, the most logical ones would likely involve Travis and Goncalves. Travis had a promising rookie year but has not established himself as a surefire starter just yet. Meanwhile, Goncalves, a 2024 third-round pick, has started at right guard and both tackle spots through his first two seasons. With all of that in mind, if the Colts think that Farmer is ready to start by Week 1, it stands to reason that they’d insert him at right guard, slide Goncalves back over to right tackle and make Travis their backup swing tackle.

Defensive linemen

Starters: DE Laiatu Latu, DE Arden Key, DT DeForest Buckner, DT Grover Stewart

Reserves: DE Micheal Clemons, DE Jaylahn Tuimoloau, DE Caden Curry (R), DE George Gumbs Jr. (R), DE Durell Nchami, DE Viliami Fehoko Jr., DT Adetomiwa Adebawore, DT Derrick Nnadi, DT Jerry Tillery, DT Colby Wooden, DT Tim Smith

Latu, a 2024 first-round pick, had 8.5 sacks last year (and three interceptions). He’s the only proven starting edge rusher on the team after Kwity Paye joined the Las Vegas Raiders in free agency. Ballard said the Colts tried to sign four-time Pro Bowler Trey Hendrickson, but he wound up with the Baltimore Ravens. Now, it appears the Colts will take a defensive-end-by-committee approach opposite of Latu.

Key is the most experienced of the “others” and projects to be a starter, but Ballard has hinted that Tuimoloau could contend as well. The 2025 second-round pick is coming off a forgettable rookie campaign in which he had zero starts and zero sacks. Clemons and the rookies, Gumbs and Curry, who were drafted in the fifth and sixth rounds, respectively, offer depth.

As for the Colts’ interior defensive line, veterans Buckner and Stewart are still entrenched as starters. Buckner, however, underwent neck surgery near the end of last season and won’t return until training camp. It’s fair to question whether the two-time All-Pro can get back to his usual stellar play. If not, then guys like Adebawore and Wooden will really need to step up.

Linebackers

Starters: CJ Allen (R), Akeem Davis-Gaither

Reserves: Bryce Boettcher (R), Jaylon Carlies, Joseph Vaughn, Devin Veresuk, John Bullock, Austin Ajiake

Allen, the Colts’ second-round pick this year, should be the Day 1 starter at middle linebacker. He’ll take over for multiyear starter and captain Zaire Franklin, whom the Colts traded to the Packers for Wooden. Allen was a first-team All-American last year at Georgia, and Ballard said, “he’ll be a green-dot guy for us from the get-go,” meaning Allen will wear the helmet with the headset so he can communicate with coaches and call the defensive plays. Allen thrived in the role at Georgia.

Davis-Gaither is in line to be the starting weakside linebacker. The veteran free-agent signee, who started 13 games for the Arizona Cardinals last year, previously spent five years under Colts defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo in Cincinnati. Boettcher, who led the Big Ten with 136 tackles last year, offers some insurance. He has experience playing middle and weakside linebacker and should be able to carve out a special teams role as a rookie.

Cornerbacks

Starters: Sauce Gardner, Charvarius Ward Sr., Justin Walley

Reserves: Kenny Moore II, Johnathan Edwards, Mekhi Blackmon, Cam Taylor-Britt, Wyett Ekeler, Rob Carter Jr., Cameron Mitchell,

Gardner is entering his first full season in Indianapolis after being traded from the New York Jets last November. The two-time, first-team All-Pro said it’s the “bare minimum” to end the Colts’ five-year postseason drought and make the playoffs in 2026. He’ll be flanked by Ward on the outside, though it’s fair to point out how much Ward’s level of play and football future is contingent on his health. The 2023 second-team All-Pro signed a three-year, $54 million deal to join the Colts last year, but he appeared in only seven games after suffering three concussions. Ward openly contemplated retirement before returning for his second season in Indy.

Walley, a 2025 third-round pick, is poised to start in the slot. He missed his entire rookie season because of a torn ACL he suffered in training camp, but the Colts remain high on his potential. Walley immediately steps into a big role, especially considering that the team’s longtime starting nickel, Moore, requested a trade earlier this month. Ballard said he would give Moore “some latitude” in how he leaves the Colts, suggesting that the team might cut him if it’s unable to find a suitable trade partner. Either way, Ballard said Moore is ready to move on.

Safeties

Starters: FS Cam Bynum, SS A.J. Haulcy (R)

Reserves: Juanyeh Thomas, Hunter Wohler, Jonathan Owens, Nasir Adderley, Reuben Lowery III, Ben Nikkel, Trey Washington

Bynum signed a four-year, $60 million contract to join the Colts last year and lived up to his price tag with a career-high four interceptions and eight passes defensed as the starting free safety. Strong safety Nick Cross joined the Washington Commanders in free agency, opening the door for the Colts to draft Haulcy as his replacement. Nicknamed “Mr. Gimmie Dat” in high school because of his ballhawk tendencies, Haulcy recorded four passes defensed and three picks last year at LSU and was named first-team All-SEC. He should be a Day 1 starter with the Colts thanks not only to his athleticism but his high IQ after playing in a variety of defenses across three programs: New Mexico, Houston and LSU.

Wohler, a 2025 seventh-round pick, and free-agent signees Thomas and Owens offer depth on the back end. They should also get an opportunity to play whenever Anarumo needs six defensive backs on the field.

Specialists

Starters: K Spencer Shrader, P Rigoberto Sanchez, LS Luke Rhodes

Reserve: K Blake Grupe

The kicking competition between Shrader and Grupe will be interesting to track this spring and summer. Both made strong cases to be the Colts’ kicker in 2026 after their productive 2025 campaigns. Shrader made 13 of his 14 field goal attempts and all 14 of his point-after attempts before he suffered a severe right knee injury last October that included damage to his ACL and MCL. Ballard said Shrader has already resumed kicking and recently made a 54-yard field goal.

Grupe joined the Colts last December after being cut by the New Orleans Saints. He missed eight of his 26 field goal attempts with the Saints but made all 11 of his field goal attempts and all 10 of his PATs with the Colts. Indianapolis re-signed Grupe on a one-year deal, setting up a battle with Shrader.

Sanchez and Rhodes remain at the top of their respective positions. They’re also two of the longest-tenured Colts, with Rhodes joining the team in 2016 and Sanchez coming on board the year after.