We officially wrapped the 2025-26 NFL season with the Seattle Seahawks victorious in Super Bowl 60 by the blowout of 29-13 over the New England Patriots. As writers of teams that don’t make the playoffs, it gives us time to reset and think about the next season. With the Indianapolis Colts missing the playoffs, we had that opportunity during the playoffs.
Plenty to discuss this offseason, leading into the NFL combine, free agency, and then the NFL Draft. Before any of that, we must examine the main issues the Colts will face as those three events begin. Think of this as an “offseason playbook” to follow to fix the issues that continue to plague this franchise.
I will address the main issues that are leading to another monumental offseason for this franchise. The front office (manned by Chris Ballard) and coaching staff (led by Shane Steichen) will mostly return. Let’s get into the three main areas of roster construction that need to be addressed during this offseason.
Improving The Edge Pass Rush
It didn’t take much to see how poor the pass rush was this season in Indianapolis. It was one of the worst in the league. The injury to DeForest Buckner only complicated the matter, and other factors contributed to the failure as well.
We saw a solid season from Laiatu Latu, but poor seasons from Kwity Paye and Samson Ebukam. Paye had his contract option picked up for this season, but he did not live up to it. It was expected that Ebukam would struggle coming back from his Achilles injury. We saw another season in which Tyquan Lewis battled injury.
On top of all that, the defensive line was not great at putting pressure on the quarterback. Grover Stewart had a mediocre season, and the other depth was fine for fill-in duty. AA was the surprise of the season as he might blossom into a situational pass rusher next season.
The franchise must add depth to the defensive line, either through free agency or the draft. Defensive line coach Charlie Partridge will not return; Notre Dame has hired him, and he will return to the college ranks. We have seen what a strong defensive line has done in Houston this season.
Must Re-Sign Both Alec Pierce and Daniel Jones
While I made pass rush the number one objective this offseason, you could argue this is priority 1B. What makes this even more complicated is that they are both eligible for the franchise tag. Whether you consider Jones or Pierce more valuable is immaterial.
The heart of the matter is in the NFL now: it’s the quarterback who takes precedence. While both are important, Jones should be the number one player on the priority list. Yes, even with the Achilles injury recovery, it is likely to impede the upcoming negotiations.
Simply stated, you saw what this offense was capable of with both Pierce and Jones at Steichen’s disposal. Both bring a specific skill set to this offense, but if you are asking me which player to franchise tag, it would be Alec Pierce. While Jones is a must to re-sign, the 46 million franchise tag would impede the team’s other roster needs. A 3-year deal with a team option for year 3 would be ideal.
Roster Construction To Help Finish Games
The biggest issue of the Ballard era has been the inability to construct the complete roster. This year was no different: the defense lagged in depth across key areas. On the offensive side, once Daniel Jones went down, the entire team collapsed with it. While having Philip Rivers was fun and nostalgic, expecting him to bring us to the playoffs was far-fetched.
Under different circumstances, Rivers would have been the perfect quarterback to run the scheme Steichen puts out each week. The RPO structure was eliminated, but it was effective with him running it, even at 44 years old. The simple fact is, Philip Rivers should not have been out there. We should have had a better option that was ready to go.
Yes, Anthony Richardson was hurt (again), and Riley Leonard was not quite ready. When you are in playoff contention, it’s important to keep the cupboard stocked with viable options. While it does take two to tango to acquire talent, it’s ultimately on Ballard to do so.
Quarterback was not the only roster spot where the needs were. The team also struggled to be proactive in the linebacker and cornerback positions. It showed that the secondary consistently got tormented as the game progressed. Even with an upgrade at defensive coordinator, the team lacked the instinct to close out games.
Ballard’s lifeline continues to get consistent resuscitation from the Irsay family, but the level of urgency will be higher than ever this coming season. This franchise has a significant amount of work to do if it wants to reach the level of the AFC South contenders.
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