Colts placement in a post-NFL free agency ranking will have fans ready to pull their hair out ahead of the 2026 season
The Colts land a lackluster placement in a recent NFL ranking, recapping the events that transpired in free agency.
The Indianapolis Colts looked like the best team in football for the first eight weeks of the 2025 season.
They went 7-1 during that span and had one of the best offenses the NFL has seen in quite some time. Sadly, their early success didn’t lead to a playoff berth because they lost eight of their final nine games, finishing below .500 at 8-9.
Now, the outlook for the team next season seems to be mainly negative, especially after a lackluster free agency showing. This led them to finish near the bottom of the league in a recent leaguewide ranking, and it’s hard to argue with their reasoning.
Colts land at 21 in PFF’s post free agency NFL ranking list
“Retaining high-priced free agents Alec Pierce and Daniel Jones cost the Colts more than $202 million in total contract value, largely restricting their ability to add to the roster and prevent an exodus of free agents. The moves also led to the subsequent trades of Michael Pittman Jr. and Zaire Franklin. While Pierce and Jones were crucial pieces to the early Colts’ success on offense in 2025, dedicating that level of cap resources was a boom-or-bust decision. Their roster improvement in 2026 hinges on in-house depth options and mid- to late-round draft picks.” – PFF post free agency NFL rankings
The Colts have lost four starters in total to start the offseason, in addition to their trades of Pittman Jr. and Franklin, as mentioned above, as well as edge rusher Kwity Paye and right tackle Braden Smith, who walked in free agency. The only starter they’ve essentially replaced is Franklin by signing Akeem Davis-Gaither.
So on paper, it’s undeniable that the Colts roster looks worse than it did entering the 2025 season. They still have time to make the needed upgrades, but if they want to prove people wrong, they need to move fast, because right now, calling them the 21st-best team in the league isn’t far-fetched.
To be a playoff team next year, the team desperately needs to upgrade its pass rush. There are other needs that need to be addressed, but without an addition to the EDGE room, it’s hard to see the defense taking the needed step forward to be taken seriously in 2026. And that’s on top of them betting on Daniel Jones returning to form after suffering a torn right Achilles tendon. We will have to wait and see whether they can overcome these obstacles, but at this time, it’s more than fair to be doubtful.
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