The Baltimore Ravens are preparing for an Indianapolis Colts roster that underwent meaningful changes on both sides of the ball. Indianapolis retained Daniel Jones as its starting quarterback and added veteran wide receiver Keenan Allen to a passing game featuring Alec Pierce, Josh Downs, and Tyler Warren. Allen gives Jones an experienced route runner who can create separation on third down and in the red zone. The Colts also reshaped portions of their offensive line. Tanor Bortolini is listed as the starting center, with Matt Goncalves at right guard and Jalen Travis at right tackle. Quenton Nelson and Bernhard Raimann provide continuity on the left side, but Baltimore can test the newer combinations with its rebuilt defensive front.
Indianapolis made its most significant defensive investment in the secondary. Sauce Gardner joins Charvarius Ward at cornerback, giving the Colts two accomplished players capable of challenging Zay Flowers, Rashod Bateman, and Baltimore's other receivers. Cam Bynum and rookie A.J. Haulcy are listed as the starting safeties.
Arden Key was added to a defensive line that already included DeForest Buckner, Grover Stewart and Laiatu Latu. That group should present an immediate test for a Ravens offensive line breaking in new starters at center and right guard.
The Colts' roster is deeper and more experienced in several critical areas. Baltimore still has advantages with Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry, but Indianapolis possesses enough talent to make Jesse Minter's debut uncomfortable if the Ravens fail to establish control early.
This article originally appeared on Ravens Wire: How the Indianapolis Colts changed during the 2026 offseason

#colts #defensive

Week 1 of the 2026 regular season is here, and on the Indianapolis Colts' initial 53-man roster are eight rookies.
While roles can change throughout the course of the season, let's project how each player could be utilized in the early going.
It remains to be seen whether or not Allen will technically be a starter, but even if he is not, he will likely see the field. The Colts could utilize a rotation at linebacker, at least early on in the season, and in that scenario, Allen seeing the field during early downs or more obvious running situations may make the most sense.
Haulcy could be a Day 1 starter, filling the strong safety role in the secondary. However, his Week 1 status remains up in the air at this time as he continues to work through an ankle injury. The Colts could also turn to Hunter Wohler to fill that role.
Farmer will be the Colts' first option off the bench at the guard position.

#starter

Following roster cutdown day, the Indianapolis Colts are adding to their 53-man roster, claiming safety Kapena Gushiken on waivers from the Philadelphia Eagles.
Gushiken now joins a safety room that includes Cam Bynum, AJ Haulcy, Hunter Wohler, and Jonathan Owens.
Here are five things to know about the newest member of the Colts.
Going back to college, Gushiken has experience playing deep safety, in the box, and lining up at the nickel. With the Eagles this preseason, Gushiken played 32 snaps at free safety, 33 in the box, and 57 from the slot.
During Gushiken's final season at Ole Miss, he played 242 snaps at deep safety, 206 from the box, and 344 from the slot.

#following

With rain in the forecast, Indianapolis Colts held an indoor training camp practice Saturday evening for "Back Together Weekend"—for the final practice of this weekend and the last before pads come on.
Well gang, let's get to it!
That’s a wrap from Day 4 of Colts Camp.

Great day for Daniel Jones. Very accurate and moves the ball down the field well. 12/15 with 3 TDs in 11s.

Josh Downs with a very productive day as well. Was the favorite target of Jones and displayed great route running.
One of the highlights of today was #colts QB Daniel Jones delivering a rocket to TE Tyler Warren for a TD in the red zone. This was in 11-on-11.
#colts Safety A.J. Haulcy getting work with the first team defense.

Justin Walley another nice pass break up in the first 11 on 11 team period. WTHRcom

#daniel #weekend #practice #first

Following the Indianapolis Colts' first training camp practice, there were some noteworthy lineup observations made by the Indy Star's Joel Erickson in a post-practice report.
With Alec Pierce sidelined, starting at wide receiver next to Josh Downs were Ashton Dulin and Laquon Treadwell. With the third starting wide receiver role on the roster up for grabs, Dulin and Treadwell appear to be the early favorites to fill that role.
Dulin, in particular, is coming off a strong showing during offseason programs. Along with Treadwell being in the mix for snaps on offense, his ability to contribute to a few different special teams phases helps his case to make a roster push.
Then at linebacker, with CJ Allen on the PUP list, Erickson notes that Bryce Boettcher and Akeem Davis-Gaither were the two starters. This doesn't come as a big surprise, considering that both saw snaps with the ones during offseason programs. These two may end up battling for the starting spot next to Allen.
Lastly, it wasn't AJ Haulcy starting next to Cam Bynum, but it was Hunter Wohler who got those reps. Haulcy impressed during offseason programs, but Wohler's versatility adds an intriguing dynamic to that position group.

#dulin #treadwell #erickson #haulcy

According to ESPN's Ben Solak, the Indianapolis Colts won't realistically regain their 2025 first half form, citing starting quarterback Daniel Jones' uncertain health and the loss of a number of key veterans as the realistic reasons for the continued regression:
2026 outlook: Repeat of early '25 success seems unlikely
It's tough to expect anything close to a repeat performance from Jones in 2026, even before we consider the effect of the Achilles injury.
It's also worth noting that the Colts endured another offensive line departure (Braden Smith) and saw a key offensive weapon (Michael Pittman Jr.) leave the building to boot. Veteran defenders Nick Scott and Zaire Franklin both departed this offseason, leaving Day 2 rookies A.J. Haulcy and CJ Allen in line to fill their big shoes.
The sheer number of departures, along with uncertain health for Jones, makes them a tough horse to back in 2026. — Ben Solak

#jones #colts #uncertain #line

The offseason praise continues to pour in for LSU football safety Ty Benefield. The Boise State transfer was No. 6 in ESPN's ranking of defenders for the 2026 college football season. Benefield has earned rave reviews since arriving at LSU in January.
ESPN talked to a handful of staffers around the sport to get firsthand accounts for the rankings. Staffers didn't hold back when discussing expectations for Benefield.
"One GM at another CFP contender said an NFL scout called him to say he had a first-round grade on Benefield and was shocked he was staying in school. Others have heard similar buzz coming out of Baton Rouge," wrote ESPN.
Another ACC GM told ESPN that they heard Benefield was an "absolute freak" and "the best player on the field" for LSU in spring practice.
The quotes align with the talk that's surrounded Benefield all offseason. Benefield has big shoes to fill at LSU, taking the spot left by AJ Haulcy, but by all accounts, Benefield is up to the task. The LSU safety is talked about as a potential All-American and first-round pick in the 2027 NFL Draft.

Following a few weeks of OTA practices, ESPN's Indianapolis Colts reporter Stephen Holder provided a few updates on the defensive side of the ball.
Most notably, he shared some insights into how things are unfolding at the safety position.
Leading the way will be Cam Bynum, but with Nick Cross leaving in free agency, the starting spot next to him is up for grabs. Competing for those snaps will be AJ Haulcy, Johnathan Owens, Juanyeh Thomas, and Hunter Wohler.
However, according to Holder, while there is still a long ways to go before these position battles are determined, Haulcy may have the early advantage.
"Another possible rookie starter is A.J. Haulcy, a third-round choice who appears to have the inside track at replacing Nick Cross at strong safety," Holder wrote.