Locked On Colts - Daily Podcast On The Indianapolis Colts - 2026 TOP 12: Most IMPORTANT Indianapolis Colts Players, Nos. 7-12

Episode Date: June 4, 2026

Who are the 12 most important Indianapolis Colts players for 2026? The guys get started with Part 1, featuring numbers 7-12. How do depth and positional value affect the rankings?   EVERYDAYER CLUB I...f you never miss an episode, it’s time to make it official. Join the Locked On Everydayer Club and get ad-free audio, access to our members-only Discord, and more — all built for our most loyal fans. Click here to learn more and join your team’s community: https://lockedonpodcasts.com/everydayerclub TEXT WITH JAKE AND ZACH Join the Locked On Colts insider program to text with Jake and Zach, ask any questions you have, and get updates on news and rumors from the Colts' facility, locker rooms, stadium, and practice field! https://joinsubtext.com/c/lockedoncolts   Find and follow Locked On Colts on your favorite podcast platforms: 🎧 https://lockedonpodcasts.com/podcasts/locked-on-colts/ 📺YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLdpxJspi1hMh5HL7ExpWOQ Locked On NFL League-Wide: Every Team, Fantasy, Draft & More 🎧 https://lockedonpodcasts.com/podcasts/locked-on-nfl/   Follow Jake's written work on roundtable.io/sports/nfl/colts/ and Zach's on si.com/nfl/colts/, and give them a follow on Twitter @JakeArthurNFL, @ZachHicks2, and @LockedOnColts!   Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors! Square If you’re starting a business or running one that deserves better tools, Square helps you sell, manage, and grow without slowing down. Right now, you can get up to $200 off Square hardware at https://square.com/go/LockedOnNFL. FanDuel Today's episode is brought to you by FanDuel. Right now, new customers can bet just five dollars and get one hundred and fifty dollars in bonus bets if their first bet wins. Visit https://FANDUEL.COM to get started — Play Your Game.FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as non-withdrawable free bets that expire in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) Indeed Listeners of this show get a $75 Sponsored Job Credit to help give your job the premium placement it deserves at http://Indeed.com/podcast. Betterhelp This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp.Sign up and get 10% off at http://BetterHelp.com/LOCKEDON. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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Starting point is 00:00:01 Jake and I are ranking the top 12 most important Indianapolis Colts players heading into the 2026 season. On today, we are diving into numbers 12 through 7. Which players made the list? Let's get to it. You are Locked on Colts, your daily Indianapolis Colts podcast. Part of the Locked on podcast network, your team every day. Welcome to Locked on Colts. I'm Zach Hicks.
Starting point is 00:00:33 That's Jake Arthur. And as I said in the intro, we are breaking. breaking down the 12 most important Indianapolis Colts players heading into the 2026 season. Jake and I both individually made our top 12 list. Then we came together and talked about where we'd put them. We actually assigned a point value for each like position on the on the charts and came to a consensus board between the two of us. So we had four spots in complete agreement.
Starting point is 00:00:59 But outside of that, we did have some disagreement. Jake had some players missed the list. I had some players missed the overall list. but we were able to come to a consensus today. So we're going to go through numbers 12 through 7 on today's episode. And on tomorrow's episode, we'll break down the top six players heading into the 2026 season on the Indianapolis Colts. This is not just a list of the best players on the team, but the most important players for success. So you guys kind of know where number one is going to go, but it's a little bit of a crap shoot after that, obviously.
Starting point is 00:01:30 So let's jump into it here, Jake. We're going to start with numbers 12 and 11 here in the first segment, and then 10. and nine and then eight and seven to close out today's show. And at number 12, we have arguably the best overall player on this Colts team. And that is left guard, Quentin Nelson, a future Hall of Famer, multiple time, all pro, one of the best players in football at his respective position. But I think we both agree that we have him at 12 here just because of the positional value, because of the depth that they have with like a player like Jalen Farmer, like it's a little bit
Starting point is 00:02:01 better with the depth behind him. and even Quentin Nelson at his absolute peak of his powers, we've seen having this future Hall of Famer on your roster hasn't really led to playoff success. So it's still great having an all-world player, one of the best players in football, but he does come in at number 12 on our list purely because at the end of the day, he is a guard. He's a big part of what they do, right? Like the run game runs through him, which we'll talk about here in the second,
Starting point is 00:02:26 but there are limitations to how important a guard is to overall success. So Quentin Nelson, while being one of the best players in the league, comes in at number 12 on our top 12 list here. Yeah, without a doubt. And if anything tells you that this is not the best of players list, then it's, again, arguably the Colts best player coming in at the bottom of our list here. But yeah, it does just to me come down to positional value and the depth that the Colts have there. Quentin has been like a pro bowler every year of his career. He's made a bunch of all pro lists. is always considered, you know,
Starting point is 00:03:00 among the top three guards in the NFL, basically. But, you know, he's been here since 2018, and the Colts have only been to the playoffs a couple times to show for that. Now, I don't want to diminish how important that is because we are talking about the most important players. So he is among the guys that we're saying has incredible value.
Starting point is 00:03:19 Leadership, you know, what he does for guys behind the scenes throughout the week, but also on the field on game days, is incredibly valuable. As you said, the run game runs through him, something that has been largely a power for the Colts throughout his entire tenure. Him coming to the Colts kind of shifted their entire culture, actually. You know, run the damn ball became a thing. And the Colts went from this team that couldn't buy a thousand-yard rusher to save their lives
Starting point is 00:03:48 to this team that is usually one of the better running teams in the entire league. And then his past protection has always been very, very good as well. So yeah, I think it's a no-brainer that this guy belongs on the list. It's just a little bit of where do you put him there? So, yeah, Matt Gonzalez, who we both think is going to take a big step forward. Dalton Tucker, who is playable, Jalen Farmer, who I think the Colts really want him to be a part of their future. They just have to figure out how that works and where he's going to be slotted. But, yeah, the Colts luckily have some guys who they could plug in if anything were to happen to Quentin.
Starting point is 00:04:25 it would not be to the level that he plays, but I think you could survive. And that's why he comes in here at number 12 for me. Yeah, no, I completely agree. I mean, honestly, I think it just speaks to how good of a player he is for him to even make a top 12 of most important players to winning, because even if you were to go to some of the best guards in football,
Starting point is 00:04:45 like how important is Quinn Miners to the Broncos winning games, right? Would he make their top 12? Maybe not, right? Because he's a great player, but I don't know if he's so vital to their offensive system like Quentin Nelson is to the Colts. So even the fact that Nelson's breaking our top 12 speaks to how great of a football player he is. And again, he's going to be in the Hall of Fame one day, ring of honor player for the Colts. So we're not trying to diminish him in any regard.
Starting point is 00:05:10 It's just what can the Colts survive a loss of Quentin Nelson more so than a loss of some of these guys ahead of them? That's going to be the bigger question. I think we're filling out this list. And this next guy that we're going to is another like highly, decorated a player throughout his NFL career, but on a very different wavelength than Quentin Nelson, right? Mr. Dependable Quentin Nelson always out there, been a great player for the Colts for a long time. But Mooney Ward comes in at number 11 for us. I had him pretty high in my top 12. Jake actually did not have him in the top of him. So I'll give my reasoning a little bit first,
Starting point is 00:05:44 and then Jake can kind of rebuttal with that. But the reason why I had Mooney so high is the biggest things I looked at were just the talent of the overall player, the position they play, and the depth behind that player. Those were the most important factors for me in making my top 12. And with Ward, I think the talent with him compared to the next backup is immense. Like I think he is still a very, very good player. I think he was playing at a pro bowl level before he got hurt early last season and it kind of derailed the strong points of his game that he had early in the season. I don't really love the cold's depth on the outside with Justin Wally moving inside, like the next man up is Cam Taylor Britt, who I'm not convinced
Starting point is 00:06:25 as a rosterable player at this point, then Jonathan Edwards I still love, obviously, but this is not a Jonathan Edwards episodes. We won't go too crazy there. But yeah, I think that the talent gap is there. And then at corner, it's such a vital position as well, even if he's going to be cornerback two this year, I still think it's one of the more important positions on the roster. So to me, Mooney Ward checked every single box. I know he is one of the biggest question marks for the Colts going into the season, but I think if he's able to stay healthy and he's able to get back to where he was playing before that Cardinals injury early last season, I think this Colts defense, like the range of outcomes for this Colts defense climbs dramatically, right?
Starting point is 00:07:03 If he and Sauce are both healthy this year and both on the field and both playing the way that you expect them to play, Colts defense can be a top 10 defense. But if Mooney Ward has a season like he did last year where the injuries pile up and then the play falls off late in the season, then I think the ceiling for the, this defense drops off dramatically. So I do think Mooney Ward is one of the most important Colts players for this team. It's just how much are you expecting him to really produce this year is the big question. But if he does produce, I think this Colts team will be much better for it, obviously.
Starting point is 00:07:36 Yeah. And I don't, him not being on my top 12 wasn't me not saying that he's not valuable, of course. But now that he's not the top corner, I think you could take a little bit of a step back. And of course, everything he went through last year is a member of the Colts. Having him for a full slate is almost a luxury. But at the same time, if you have him and he's healthy, I got to imagine you're getting an outstanding player. So like that's how I have zero problem with him being in our top 12 here. Because I think he played really good ball when he was on the field.
Starting point is 00:08:09 I've referenced a couple times, you know, this offseason that pro football focus had both him and Sauce Gardner as top. 10 corners in the NFL despite their injuries last year. So incredibly valuable guy when he's on the field. And we know, like, if Lou Anirumo is able to get dynamic with his defense with Soss Gardner on the field and healthy, well, what can you do with two of those types of guys on the boundary? That's incredibly valuable. And one guy that kind of had to hit the cutting room floor for me, I had Justin Wally in there,
Starting point is 00:08:40 only because if you expect him to play at a high level in the slot, will you have an elite guy and sauce on the outside and then a guy like wally on the inside who we expect might provide better coverage than Kenny Moore did last year only because Kenny at this point in man coverage this is not his jam so that we in my lineup we essentially flip-flop ward and wally which that's that's fine you know but yeah ward I'm just I'm setting my expectations low but hoping they're exceeded you know just because the baseline that we got last year was so low because of the injuries and everything that I think anything he can provide and give you is, you know, icing on top. I do, I don't think it would look good if he wasn't on
Starting point is 00:09:29 the field because like you said, the drop off behind him is pretty severe. But Jonathan Edwards, you know, if he has this newfound talent of finding the ball, that's not the worst corner in the league, Cam Taylor Britt, you know, that that's my expectations are even lower because he's not even out there on the field right now. He's just watching. He's got some, I'm guessing, some sort of injury. And then Cameron Mitchell, like the talent does drop off. But we just don't know what to expect from Ward yet because he just was so snake bitten by those concussions last year. Yeah, I agree that he would be icing on top if he's able to play this year. But I would argue that it's so much better with the, like the icing is what makes this whole thing go, you know, like you kind of need the icing if you
Starting point is 00:10:13 want to have the perfect thing. Yeah, like sauce just makes him not vital necessarily. Like sauce has taken over that role being the vital piece in the secondary. Yeah. No, I don't disagree whatsoever there. Coming up, guys, we're going to dive into numbers 10 and 9 on our top 12 Indianapolis Colts, most important Indianapolis Colts, I should say, going into the 2026 season. This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp.
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Starting point is 00:12:23 before we continue our countdown with the numbers 10 and nine most important colts for 2026 do not forget to check out the everyday or club for ad free audio episodes of the show and access to a group chat with other listeners zach and myself just tap the link in the show notes or go to lockdowncults dot supercast dot com all right zach so it did not take long for us to get to a rookie that the Colts were really going to have to rely on this year. So we all know how important Zaire Franklin was to the Colts. Whether he lived up to that, you know, importance level or not, he was very important to that defense.
Starting point is 00:13:01 And now that is going to have to fall on the shoulders of a rookie. So coming in at number 10 for a sack, it is rookie linebacker, C.J. Allen, who the Colts drafted in the second round. Yeah, and this is another one where I think just positioned value, drove him down the board a little bit because I do think just in terms of like his presence in the locker room and overall play like potential upgrade over what the Colts had last year. It could be a pretty big upgrade and a big jump for the Colts. But overall, I don't know if a linebacker, even if it's, you know, even if Alan's a good linebacker this year, if it's going to make or break this team like some of the other positions that we're going to talk about on this list.
Starting point is 00:13:37 So Allen comes in at number 10, which seems a little bit low. but I do think one of the biggest aspects that he could bring to the team this year is just improving that overall success rate on defense and and limiting those explosive plays, right? And it's kind of weird to say like, oh, can a linebacker limit explosive plays? Because when you think of explosive plays, you think of like deep vertical passes over the top and corners getting beat and such like that, which is certainly part of the equation. But I just think the down-to-down consistency getting teams more into like third and eight, third and nine, because your linebacker, it's, fitting better against the run because they're being a more sure tackler because they're not missing tackles at that second level. I think that can overall limit explosive plays against. It can get you into more beneficial situations and help you get off the field on third down.
Starting point is 00:14:24 So while again, I think Allen is more of like, he's not going to be one of the biggest focuses this year for the Colts because at the end of the end, the end, the end, the most important aspects for the colds defense. At the middle there at linebacker, I think Alan can just be a steadying force. And being that steadying force can be a very important aspect. So again, like, it seems like he's a bit low, but for a linebacker to be in the top 10 most important player on your team, it says a lot for how much we expected this young player in year one.
Starting point is 00:14:56 So I'm expecting good things from him. I expect him to have a really solid season. But overall, I hope that with him this year instead of Zire Franklin and Jermain Pratt, we see a little bit less volatility. We see a little bit more consistency and hopefully it can lead to fewer mistackles and a better success for this defense in 2026. Yeah, I think a huge thing you mentioned was third downs. And just being able to get off the field, I mean, how many times did we see teams convert
Starting point is 00:15:24 on third and long or, you know, like a five-yard drag route turns into a 12 or 15-yard gain? You know what I mean? Like that stuff, when you've got someone who is more of a response. responsible player is taking good angles to the ball, not getting fooled by shooting the wrong gap, or just getting caught up in traffic. Like, I think just having a guy being where he's supposed to be more consistently, I think that's going to be pretty huge.
Starting point is 00:15:49 But also, he's lauded for his leadership. His leadership and his smarts, his IQ, like usually, especially if you're a rookie, I think other guys will gravitate towards that. And, you know, that will make guys more accountable. So I think he will be valuable with non-football stuff, I guess you could say, just not stuff down to down, but just bigger picture. I think he certainly sets the tone. They're already talking about he's a guy that's like a first in the building. He's already in the wait room when you get there type of guy.
Starting point is 00:16:22 So I think that's that's huge. Yeah. Lunch pale. I got lunch pale dude already. They got in CJ Allen. So I think that's big. Again, defending the run. you look at you're kind of remaking the entire linebacker group and you're tasking this this rookie
Starting point is 00:16:39 with leading the charge and basically being an extension of the coaching staff on the field through James Betcher through Lou Aniruma, that's a big responsibility. And so I think he's going to be pretty important. You know, like again, fitting the run and making sure you don't get behind on down and distance. And then on third down, not letting things, not just not letting offenses run amok. And again, letting two, three-yard gains become six, seven, eight-yard gains. I think he'll be really big for that. So, yeah, CJ Allen, I'm, again, I'm guilty of not loving the pick when it happened.
Starting point is 00:17:17 But I've really come around to it. And I think, honestly, he should be like a dark horse candidate for defensive rookie year. I think he could have that productive of the year. Yeah, it's very rare for a. linebacker to get that award. But if anybody could, I mean, heck, in Indy, we've seen it, right? You know, we've seen.
Starting point is 00:17:35 Second round linebacker. Yeah, we've seen it happen in Indy. So we'll see. Big things expected for CJ Allen. This next guy is another player that Jake and I did kind of disagree on where I was a bit lower than Jake was. But coming in at number nine is Jalen to him a low out. The defensive end opposite of Layatu Latu.
Starting point is 00:17:53 Now, real quick, I'll just say before I give it to you, Jake, the reason why I had him a little bit lower is I think that the position that he is fighting for is one of the most valuable positions on the team. I'm just not 100% sold that it has to be him, I guess, in that role, right? Which is why he dropped a little bit because there is a scenario where he struggles yet again. He doesn't have a good season, but maybe an Arden Key can fill that role, right? I know he still makes this list because we need it to be Jalen to him a little out for to be successful. But I don't think it's like utterly dependent on him being that guy. although it's, you know, kind of dependent on him being that guy for sure.
Starting point is 00:18:32 So that's the only reason I had him a little bit lower. When you had him much higher than me, I totally got it because, look, ideally you want this guy to be a breakout player in 2026. Yeah, and that was it for me is because when we're talking value, if he hits and he escalates to just giving you what Quitty Pay gave you, that's huge compared to what he was going to give you. And it allows you to have, now Arden Key is going to have a big role. I think regardless.
Starting point is 00:18:59 Like, two and Malau, I was not just going to come in here and, like, own it and play 70% the snaps all the time, whatever. But I was looking into it today. And Arden Key throughout his career has been really a 50% guy. He's played 50% of the snaps for most of his career. I don't even think he started half the games in his career. And if he has, it's been very close to just half of them. So you want Arden Key in a supportive role.
Starting point is 00:19:23 You don't want him as that other starter. So if Tua Maloalow becomes your starter, because he's, proven himself through the summer and looks good, has done all the things you want him to do, like get stronger. He said he wants to be faster and twitchier. If you're seeing those things, and he's giving you six or seven sacks, which I know is an enormous jump from last year, but that's what Quitty Pay gave you and it wasn't a ton. But if he can fill that role, then suddenly you feel better about not having so much pressure
Starting point is 00:19:54 on Liotatilatu, and you just feel like this is a more legit group. and that the pass rush by committee thing can work and that it's not just Latu or Bust or DeForest Buckner with his neck and Latu or bust. You know what I mean? I just think it raises the entire level of the defensive line and allows guys to play in more appropriate spots. Yeah, absolutely.
Starting point is 00:20:17 I completely agree there. I really want him to be a breakout player this year. I think I'm just in the same boat as what you said with Mooney Ward, where the expectations are kind of low, but we'll see. And that's kind of where I'm at with Tui Miloa. It's like, my expectations are kind of low, but like I hope he surpasses him. That would be amazing for this next season because obviously he's very important. We have him as the ninth most important player for Colt's success in 2026.
Starting point is 00:20:41 So hopefully he can exceed expectations and become that other starter alongside Laotu Latu. Coming up, we're going to finish out today's episode by talking about numbers eight and seven, a veteran player and then one of the younger players on the roster as well. support for today's episode comes from square the business platform that helps sellers become neighborhood favorites whether you're gearing up for a busy season or just trying to keep up with everyday demand square keeps your business running smoothly from payments to online orders inventory staff and more all in one place so that you can focus on your customers and not your to do list square helps businesses simplify the day to day while still giving them room to grow
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Starting point is 00:22:39 We are counting down the top 12 most important Colts for the 2026 season. Let's just run through a real quick recap. So at number 12, we had Quentin Nelson, 11, Mooney Ward. 10 was rookie linebacker, C.J. Allen. Number nine was defensive in Jalen, Toulam, a lowow. And at number eight, Zach, this was a guy I had a hard time placing as well just because, again, expectations. It's pro bowler, pro bowl defensive tackled DeForest Buckner, who this might be a swan song with the Colts. Final season under contract, coming back from the neck, you've kind of got a deep group at three tech behind him. You know, it is important what he can give you, especially I think there's a lot of pressure for him to perform because the Colts have kind of started preparing for life after
Starting point is 00:23:26 him, it seems. Yeah, I think this is another one that I kind of dragged up a little bit higher in our rankings because I really put a lot of the onus on these like highly paid veteran players to propel the Colts to victory in 2026. And maybe we should have low expectations for them because of the injuries. But if the Colts want to be a playoff team in 2026, they need the best out of Mooney Ward. They need the best out of DeForest Buckner. Now, whether you think, that that's going to happen. That's the big question. But yeah, with DeForest Buckner, it's just the neck injury is scary, right? I think Kevin Bowen wrote a good article on it today as well. I was reading that right before we jumped on. So big shout out to our friend Kevin Bowen over
Starting point is 00:24:05 there. But yeah, it's just, what's he going to look like coming back? He's not 25 anymore. It's not 24. You know, this is a guy in his 30s who missed a lot of last season with this neck injury, missed a better half of, like down the stretch when they were losing games. They need. needed him out there. And he just wasn't on the field because of that injury. And it's still impacting him today. Right. He's missing the voluntary OTAs currently due to that injury. So what level of impact do they get out of Buckner? And he's the only guy that I expect in the D-Line room to be like a star level pass rusher alongside potentially Laotu. Right. But having like having both of those guys, if if Latu takes the jump and Buckner is able to look like DeForest Buckner,
Starting point is 00:24:48 then this Colts team can have a playoff level pass rush. But that's two big ifs, right? Is can Lottu take that next step and can Bukner actually be healthy? So you're relying on two big ifs. And honestly, it's more likely that Latu takes a jump than Buckner is all of a sudden healthy in his 30s after a neck injury like this. So it is a big question. But I think if you want to have that playoff level pass rush, you need Buckner to be Buccner. You know, so it might seem like it's not going to happen.
Starting point is 00:25:18 but I still think for success in 2026, you need him to be who he has been throughout his whole career for at least one last season. Like you said, Jake, this is probably his final go with the Colts regardless of results this year for the team. So they need him to look like Buckner one last time before he potentially departs to a new location. Or who knows, maybe this could be his last year in the NFL depending on how it goes. But they need him to be, you know, pro bowl or all pro level to force Buckner just one more time if they want to make. make that push for the playoffs. Yeah, without a doubt. And on a normal year, this is a guy who's blocked into our top five, you know.
Starting point is 00:25:56 But for me, I think he's going to have to take a limited role from what we're used to seeing. I think he normally is in the 70, you know, the 70% range, 70 to 75% of his participation. Now you traded for Colby Wooden. You probably want to see more of Attaima, Atabwara, because He's been ascending all the time and is going into a contract year. So there's going to have to be more of Buckner sharing the field this year. And so I don't think they're going to have to rely on him quite as much as they normally would.
Starting point is 00:26:32 But that doesn't mean he's not critical to what they do. Because if you're getting one more flash in the pan of DeForest Buckner that totally, you know, knives through and manhandles interior offensive lines, then that is an incredibly been. official thing. I just, I'm a little skeptical of how it's going to go. And at minimum, again, he's probably not going to be playing the same amount of snaps he normally does. But if you concentrate those lesser snaps into more high quality play, because he doesn't have to play that as much as normal, then that's pretty good as well. You know, if he can give you a few pressures in a QB hit or a sack, you know, relatively often, then I think you're in a good spot. I do before we move
Starting point is 00:27:18 on to the next guy that like what's a good season for buckner this year five six sacks or like do you think it needs to be more i think it needs to be more than that i mean given how much money he's getting like it needs to be more than that like it has to like again there's always nuance to this like if the pressures are high and the wind rates high and he's being disruptive and other guys are just finishing sacks but i mean he needs to be i i would like him to be closer to eight you know eight to ten i think which is a lot for it's a lot for a defensive tackle but like he's getting paid a ton of money. They need that production from him. And the only reason he fell down a little bit low for me. Again, I know we're running late on this one is because I do like that depth behind him,
Starting point is 00:27:57 but he still needs to be that guy on past rushing downs for the Colts in 2026. Real quick, though, getting to number seven, tight end, Tyler Warren, the rookie phenom from last year. I think we both won to put him a little higher, but I think, again, the position value of just tight end, even though we both think he's going to be the, you know, number two target in the passing game this season. Maybe the number one target in the passing game, right, depending on how game flow goes. I'm expecting huge things out of Tyler Warren. I think he could break a thousand yards if things go the right way for the team.
Starting point is 00:28:31 My only big question for him going into this next year is if Daniel Jones is a little bit limited on those play action rollouts, that was a lot of Tyler Warren's production last season. So can he be like he was a little bit gadgety last year and how he was used in the offense? and I don't mean that as the, you know, the negative term that I think some people take it as because they found ways to get him the ball. But can he grow as a more overall tight end going into year two is going to be the big question for him? I think he's fully capable.
Starting point is 00:29:00 He's done a lot in his career thus far in terms of taking on different roles. So one of the best players on the team, one of the best players relative to their position in the league that the Colts have. And I think he's only going to get better. So there are a little bit of questions with him, but I think he's going to be, you know, the Colts' second most productive receiver or past catcher this season could be the leader in targets and catches if things break his way. So I think he's going to be a massive piece of the offense this year. Yeah, I think, I don't think number seven is, you know, I don't think that's diminishing him
Starting point is 00:29:33 in either way. That's still a very high number. We just have more valuable position. Like, you know, just a sneak peek here going forward. We have quarterback in number one corner and offensive tackle and, you know, The premium positions are coming up next. Right, right. So that's the only reason he falls to seven.
Starting point is 00:29:50 I mean, I think there's only one more non-premium position in front of him. Yeah. And the thing is, like, the passing game, he could be the heartbeat of it. That doesn't mean he's necessarily going to be the most dangerous. And like Josh Downs is going to be another guy that we expect to be, like, it's not all going to be Tyler Warren on third and fourth down. You know what I mean? Like, we expect Josh Downs to be heavily involved there. Alex Pierce obviously is going to be a huge part of what they do in the passing game this year.
Starting point is 00:30:19 But, you know, Warren's value overall, never having to leave the field because I assume he's going to be a little better as a blocker. You know, he's a big mismatch when it comes to the passing game. He creates yards after the catch. He's not like he's not a wiggle guy, but he's powerful and fast enough to separate. And, you know, again, create more yards after the catch. again he's going to be super productive i i don't have any negative things to say but like seven is about the ceiling for me unless you're Travis kelsey or tray mcbride or you know those those those real george kittle you know in their prime of course those like elite level tight ends
Starting point is 00:31:02 the colts just happen to have some other guys on offense that carry a little more weight than he does yeah yeah but tyler warren one of the best players on this team I'm expecting even more in year two than what we got in year one. And year one, what were you saying? I was just saying, I think he'll probably wind up in like the NFL
Starting point is 00:31:20 top 100. And this is another example of like, just because he's number seven doesn't, like he is probably better than the seventh best player on the team. Yeah. But, you know, just in terms of value, you know,
Starting point is 00:31:32 I think nationally he's going to start getting some more love again. Like I said, probably NFL top 100 this year, maybe could be on there. Made the pro bowl last year. Yeah, but I say, again,
Starting point is 00:31:41 if we're talking like, top 10 talent Colts. He's probably in the top five or six on this team, especially relative to the position across the league and just on the roster. But because this is about what's most indicative of winning next season, still being a number seven for being a tight end is pretty darn high. You know, like outside of like Tray McBride or like those other tight ends you mentioned, Jake, there's probably not many other tight ends who would break that high on their respective
Starting point is 00:32:04 teams. But Tyler Warren is going to be a big part of this Colts offense next season. There's just going to be two other bigger or two or three other bigger parts. of the offense that are going to rank ahead of him on tomorrow's top six ranking. So a little sneak peek for tomorrow, Jake and I will break down six through one on our top 12 most important Colts heading into 2026. But that is what we have so far, our first half of the list. Thank you all for tuning in today to Lock on Colts.
Starting point is 00:32:29 We're back yet again tomorrow. So make sure you subscribe and follow Locked on Colts so you get all of your latest episodes. And if you don't already, make sure you're following at Lockedon Colts at Jake Arthur and Afl and at Zach Hicks to all on social. never miss an episode the everyday club is built for you get us ad free plus members only discord access and much more and the locked on colds dot supercast dot com to join the club we'll catch you guys back here later tonight for the cold squad show with alan pinkett and derrick shultz as well

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