Locked On Colts - Daily Podcast On The Indianapolis Colts - ADJUSTMENTS: Indianapolis Colts' Jaylahn Tuimoloau and Matt Goncalves Make Massive Changes for 2026

Starting point is 00:00:01 Indianapolis Colts edge rusher, Jalen Toomeloal enters year two with a goal of being Twicker, twitchier, and faster. 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. My name is Zach Hicks. My better half, Jake Arthur, is not here today.

Starting point is 00:00:32 He is at Colts facility talking to a bunch of players and coaches and getting up some great videos here on the YouTube channel. So if you guys want to check that out, make sure you are subscribing to Lockdown Colts on YouTube. But I am here today to break down everything that was said from these players, most notably Jalen Toomeloah and Matt Consolvis, talking about their offseason training and how they're going to enter these pivotal years of their young NFL careers.

Starting point is 00:00:57 So we're going to talk about those two players for the bulk of today's episode, but also we'll round out today's show talking about Mooney Ward's comments, Reggie Wayne's comments, Marion Hobby, the Colts D-Line coach, some of his comments as well, and really get the full scope of everything that was said today. But first, let's talk about Jalen to him below, the Colts' second-year edge rusher out of Ohio State. He was taken in round two of last year's draft, and his rookie season was nothing to write home about. It was rookie season marred by a couple injuries, a couple healthy scratches. He really couldn't fight his way into a starting role.

Starting point is 00:01:30 And even when he did get some extended playing time in a couple games, it was very up and down. were a couple really cool flashes, like his spin move against Tennessee Titans, I thought was really cool. But aside from that, it was a rookie season to forget for the young edge rusher. He finished the year with just 10 tackles and 14 pressures and zero sacks in 215 defensive snaps. So yeah, it was a bit of a loss, not I don't want to say a lost season, but certainly not the season you expect out of a top 100 pick or a top, what, a 55 pick is what he was in that past draft class. But now he enters year two with a pretty big opportunity, right? The defensive line room has undergone a major shuffle. There's no longer quidipay, Taiquan Lewis or Samson Ebukam in front of him. He does have

Starting point is 00:02:16 some new faces to compete with in Arden Key and Michael Clemens, but the Colts lack of signing like a Trey Hendrickson or another big time edge rusher has opened the door for Jalen to him a low out to have a chance to potentially be a starter going into a second season. So he talked to Colts media today and talked about a little bit of the ups and downs of his rookie season. did speak a little bit on like, hey, the combine process. A lot of these players are coming to the NFL with very different body types than what they should be, whether it's too much weight, too little weight, they're getting ready for all this running, and it's not really like football shape.

Starting point is 00:02:48 So the rookie season is a bit tough for a lot of these players, and they really have to reconfigure their bodies post that first season and kind of learn as they go in that first season. So it is always a tricky thing in the NFL when players are coming out with their rookie season. So we talked about how he played around 270 pounds last year. He is a little bit closer to 265 now. So it's not the biggest difference in the world, but just a little bit leaner,

Starting point is 00:03:10 a little bit quicker, a little bit twitchier. And he said that's what the biggest focus was for him this offseason, get leaner, get stronger and get more Twitch in his game. So he's been working with a couple of coaches to really add those elements to his game. And when you look at his film last year, I think those were certainly big aspects that he was lacking. I know that sounds like everything when it comes to rushing the passer. But in terms of the Twitch,

Starting point is 00:03:34 I think that was the biggest part there because unless you are just an overwhelmingly strong player, if you're going to operate on the edge and be an edge rusher in this league, you have to have some twitch and some burst and some explosion around the edge, or you're not going to be able to be a high level. So with two and a low-law, I thought there were some good moments where, again, like some inside moves and inside counters look good. There were a couple of good, like, long arms with just some of his raw strength. but can he consistently threaten the edge to open up some of these things?

Starting point is 00:04:07 That's going to be the big question for him going forward. So I like that he did take some of that advice from the exit interviews where I'm assuming a lot of the exit interviews with the Colts were like, hey, we need you to be a little bit faster and a little bit leaner this next season if you're going to take on a bigger role because there's plenty of plotting defensive ends out there in this league. There's plenty of strong defensive ends that can't turn the corner and can just set an edge. but the difference between those guys and guys who really make an impact and last in this league is that twitch, is that explosion, is that ability to use some speed on the outside.

Starting point is 00:04:41 So Jalen Tumaloa entering a massive year two forum gets the opportunity of a lifetime to potentially be a starter. This is kind of looking ahead to the end of the segment, but Marion Hobby, the defensive line coach for the Colts, did say they're going to do everything in their power to give these young guys a lot of reps in the offseason programs to get them ready for this upcoming season. So as of right now, it does seem like the Colts are ready to roll with some of this young talent that have at defensive end in Toomeloah in George Gones, in Caden Curry, and see what these guys can do before making a decision on a veteran. So, you know, the time is now for Toa Malo.

Starting point is 00:05:15 You don't get many chances in this league to potentially be a starter. Even if you are a top 55 pick like he was, you don't get a second or third or fourth chance to be a starter in this league. So for him, like, this might be his one big shot to show that he can be a, a starting defensive end for the Indianapolis Colts or for any team. You know, it could be for another team down the line too. This might be his one big shot to really showcase it. So I like that he's got a little bit leaner.

Starting point is 00:05:41 I did think there was some baby fat on his film last year. And I like that he's focused on adding some Twitch and some speed rushing element to his game as well because a lot of his rushes were just these stagnant, rush forward, extend the two hands and try to push back and just not having the explosion needed to really test the edge and really. threatened there. So I like that he's taken the right steps. I like that he seems to be ready for this opportunity. And I hope for all Colts fans that he is certainly up for the challenge because if this doesn't work out with Toa Malowal, you're looking at a veteran guy that's still probably out

Starting point is 00:06:16 there. And who knows what kind of production you're going to get from one of those guys in terms of like a Judavian Clowny or Joey Bosa or those type of guys who are more so just floor setters rather than ceiling raisers where a young player like Toa Molo could be a guy who raises your ceiling if he comes out and performs at a high level this next year. So I know that there isn't great optimism for a lot of Colts fans for him to do that. And I've had my own, like, negative feelings about Tumolo, low-ow. But I am happy to hear that he has taken the right steps. And we'll see what he looks like.

Starting point is 00:06:47 You know, that year one to year two jump for a lot of players is a very vital aspect of their career trajectory. We see a lot of players, you know, like Baron Hart-Ryman, we always think of. We're from year one to year two where he added a bunch of weight, came in the way that he wanted to look in the NFL. It was able to take off from like a kind of rough rookie season to being the Colts franchise left tackle for years to come. So we have seen crazier things in this league.

Starting point is 00:07:11 I think Tumaloa has the goods to be a good player. He had a really good college career as well at Ohio State. So certainly not closing the book on a player like that. And he seems to be taking the right steps forward to be that guy for this Indianapolis Colts team. So we'll see where he goes with this opportunity, but he's going to get every chance in the world. to be a starter for the Colts in this must-win 2026 season.

Starting point is 00:07:33 But coming up, we're going to talk about a subject that I love, one that's near and dear to my heart, and that is offensive line play. Colts right guard, Matt Gonsolves, also changed his weight a little bit this off-season. And I think he's an underrated player that we're not talking about enough as a potential breakout year three player for the Colts. So we're going to talk about Matt Consolves

Starting point is 00:07:52 and some of his off-season work coming up in just a few. But first, workplace chaos, deadline stacking up, inbox overflowing and the one position you have to fill is still sitting open. When the pressure's on and you need the right hire, this is a job for Indeed sponsored jobs. Indeed, sponsored jobs helps you reach the people who actually fit what you're looking for, skills, experience, location. So you're not just hoping the right candidate stumbles across your post. And here's a stat that says it all.

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Starting point is 00:08:46 the premium status it deserves at Indeed.com slash podcast. Just go to Indeed.com slash podcast right now and support our show by saying you heard about Indeed on this podcast. Indeed.com slash podcast, terms and conditions apply need to hire. This is a job for Indeed sponsored jobs. All right, Locked on Colts everydayers, we are back talking about some offseason notes and just comments from players and coaches today. Jake Arthur is out there listening to everything these players had to say. So he got some great quotes.

Starting point is 00:09:21 He's going to put the full videos up on our YouTube channel. But I'm reacting to a couple of the notable comments that were made and giving my thoughts on them. You know, what you guys come to Lockdown Colts for, right? The Zach Hicks and Jake Arthur thoughts, that's what you're getting from me today. Before we get into Mac Gensalves, don't forget to check out the Everyday or Club for ad-free episodes and access to a group chat with other listeners of the show, me and Jake. So tap the link in the show notes or go to lockdowncultz.com. So Maconsov is the Colts starting right guard last season, his first time starting a guard in basically his entire career going back to high school. And I thought he played fairly well last year.

Starting point is 00:10:00 I didn't really have many complaints with his overall film. there were some ups and downs. There were some bad stretches in the middle of the season. He tragically lost his father halfway through the year. And I do think there were a couple games around there where some of his big struggles really showed up on the field. And it's hard to really get on a player because of some personal off-field stuff. But I think Consolves goes into year three now in a really optimal position for the Colts. Apparently he worked with Olin Croutts this offseason. Chris Bauer just talked about that. And Gonzalves also spoke about it today.

Starting point is 00:10:32 Olin Croutes was a Bears starting center from 1998 to 2010. One of the better, you know, offensive linemen in that historic franchise's history. Crout has a long relationship with Chris Ballard as well when Chris Ballard was an area scout for the Bears. So Ballard has sent a lot of Colts offensive lineman to work with Crout before Will Fries, notably worked with Crout in the offseason before his breakout third season. And now Gonzalez is following on that same trajectory. he's up from 317 pounds to around 330. He described it as like lean mass, you know, just just mass added to his rate,

Starting point is 00:11:08 whatever it's going to be. Lean mass, muscle, mass in general, like he's bigger, he's stronger. He's up to 330 pounds. So that puts him as like a 6'6, 330 pound right guard in this league. He is absolutely massive. And he spoke on how adding that weight was to be more ready for NFL power on the interior, which I think is a smart path to go for him. because when you're already 6 foot 6 like he is at right guard,

Starting point is 00:11:33 it's going to be hard to win that leverage battle 24-7, right? You're going to be out-leverage by a lot of these defensive tackles who are coming in at like 6'2, 300-something pounds, right? They're going to have that natural ability to get lower than you. So I think one way to combat that, if you're not trying to be more flexible and get lower than them yourself, is just adding a lot more muscles so you just have more torque and more power in your frame to combat those guys that are already going to beat you with,

Starting point is 00:12:00 leverage. So I think that was one of the bigger issues with Gonzalez last year, sometimes defensive linemen would get underneath him and torque him out of the way and kind of forklift him a little bit. But if he adds more mass, adds more strength, like you mentioned here, he might be able to better combat that and counter what he's seeing from defensive tackle. So I think this was the right path for Consolves, unless you're going to go, like, get lighter and get a lot more flexible, the other path is correct as well where you're going to get a lot bigger and a lot stronger and just try to overpower players like we see across the league with a lot of interior offensive lineman. I think of like a Landon Dickerson with the Eagles at his

Starting point is 00:12:34 peak, like just being like a 330 pound mauler on that side. You think of a lot of the mallers across the league. And I think that's how they operate to combat defensive tackles getting a little bit lower than them. When we look at McInsawvis, though, I'm, I'm so intrigued by his trajectory because with Tony Sparano Jr., we've seen the similar just game play out with his offensive lineman, right? Baron Hart Ryman. I know Baron Hart Ryman and Will Fries, they did a lot of their spot starting in the year before Sprano came here. But if we look at their trajectory from their first three seasons or their three seasons of play starting like early on with Sprano to where they ended up being,

Starting point is 00:13:10 you know, Ryman in his first year with all that mess going on in 2022 right before Sprano got here was kind of a rough spot starter, right? He was in and out of the lineup, just did not look great. He did start like the last half of the year and was kind of a below average starting left tackle, right? He gets into Sprano's system in his second year. and he becomes a very solid start. He added that weight that he needed to add very solid starter in 2023.

Starting point is 00:13:36 And then I think 2024 and 2025, Bernhardt Ryman has emerged as like this top 10 left tackle in football. Will Fry's when we look at him, right? 2022 was his first year as kind of getting in the lineup. Very up and down spot starter, but there were some intriguing aspects to his game. His first year with Tony Sparano Jr. in 2023. He was a pretty adequate starter overall.

Starting point is 00:13:56 And then his third season in 2024 was the, breakout year for Will Fries, where I firmly believe he would have been a Pro Bowl caliber right guard if he didn't get hurt in week six against the Jacksonville Jaguars. So now when you look at Matt Gonzalez, though, comparing it to those three-year stretches from those two players, Gonzalez in his first year playing some tackle, a bit of an up-and-down spot starter, got in the lineup a little bit, but, you know, there was some gaps in his game, moves to a new position last year, rock-solid starter in year two, kind of an adequate player. There's some ups and down still, but there is some good elements there.

Starting point is 00:14:31 So now it's what is he going to be in year three? Can he be a breakout player like Ryman and like Fry's work in their third season starting after getting everything that they need in terms of like their development and the exit interviews under their belt and like where they need to put the work in in the off season? So it's not guaranteed that like McInsolves is going to work out similarly to those two players just because they worked out. But I think the trajectory is the exact same way, where they go from being a spot starter to an adequate starter to being this breakout player in the third season. So Consolves now with a full season of playing guard under his belt, he finally got that

Starting point is 00:15:08 that run that he needed at guard to really understand the position and understand how we need to approach that position. Now he gets a full off season of working at it, adding the necessary weight to be that position. I think we're in store for a really big season from at Consolvis. I think everything is there for him to be a good player. I broke down a lot of his film last year on my other YouTube channel talking about how in the past game, like there's some really promising aspects. He's a guy that is very aggressive. He's got awesome jump sets.

Starting point is 00:15:37 When he gets his hands on defenders in a hurry, it's almost like a wraps for them. He's just a really good player. And he has a lot of good elements to his game that I think if he can just be stronger, if he can continually get better in the running game, I think Mack and Sawitz can be a fringe pro bowl right guard this next. season. So I think people are sleeping on him because we're all excited about Jalen Farmer. And I understand the excitement about Jalen Farmer, but Tony Sprano Jr. likes to kind of soft launch his offensive lineman, right? He likes to have the spot starting first year, the mostly starting second year, but we'll see kind of how it is before that breakout in year three.

Starting point is 00:16:14 So Consolvis has kind of been that guy who has put in his time. And now he is ready for his breakout where a Jalen Farmer, I think, still needs to put in that time and still grow into being that player that we all want him to be down the stretch. So Gonzalez, I think, is ready. And this also kind of goes for Tanner Bordellini. He didn't talk today, but Bordellini is also in this same boat as Gonsolves, that spot starter to adequate starter to break out year three. So I think things are looking good for the Colts Young offensive linemen.

Starting point is 00:16:41 I expect big things from Matt Gonzalez this year. And I'm excited to see what his offseason of work look like with Olin Croutts and see how much better he got technically and how much stronger he looks on film this because that'll be a bit to see how good of a player that he can be for the Colts to round out his third season in the league. So McAnsoviz, I think he's an underrated breakout player for the Colts this year. Really excited to see where he can take his game in 2026. But coming up, the Colts also allowed other people to talk today, a couple of coaches and Reggie Wayne, Marion Hobby, and Tony Sparano, Jr. So we're going to get some news and notes from those players to round out today's show.

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Starting point is 00:18:15 Terms apply. Again, a create account and redeem code L-O-C-E-D-O-N for $20 off. Download the game time app today. Already, locked on Colts everydayers, we are back talking about some news and notes from the Colts media availability today. If you guys want to see the full quotes and the full conversations that Jake and other beat reporters had with some of these players, Jake will be uploading videos on our YouTube channel throughout the rest of the day. So make sure you are checking that out if you aren't already subscribed. Mooney Ward also spoke today.

Starting point is 00:18:51 So Mooney Ward, a player that we all feel very skeptical about going in this next season. He was in a pretty dark place at the end of the year talking about his feelings about potentially retiring and hanging him up because of the multiple concussions that he faced last year. Even had a quote that made it to rounds talking about how if he had one more concussion, that would be it for him. He seemed to be in a better place today, at least according to Jake. And Jake's already, I think, posted that video. So I did watch part of that video on our YouTube channel. He said he's mentally and spiritually in a much better place. I didn't want to end his career on a year like last year as well.

Starting point is 00:19:26 And just with having more family around his son being around this year and also being a little bit more removed from the loss of his daughter. He still continues to mourn the loss of his daughter, but it gets easier to cope, I guess, for him as time goes on and better ways to spiritually work through that according to him. So Mooney Ward appears ready to go this season. He wants to be locked and loaded and he did not want to end his career the way that last year went. So even if this next year is his final year in the NFL, he wants to go on a much higher note. He's been working out relentlessly this all season. So again, I know we're all in wait and steam mode with him to see exactly what the Colts can actually get out of him. But I'm hoping for the best.

Starting point is 00:20:08 You know, he's kind of a big wild card for the team this year. We don't really know exactly how much we're going to get out of him. But I mean, if you want to be optimistic about this, right? I mean, he's probably going to give them more than what he did last year. You've got to hope at least he's going to give them more. he's going to give them more than last year because he just didn't really get on the field much last season. And I think we forget, too, before the concussions really had their toll on him, like early in the year last year, he played some really good football for the Colts.

Starting point is 00:20:35 It was a big part of that Rams game and how the Colts were able to kind of slow down the Rams passing attack. I know that Puka had a really big game against Xavier Howard. But when they were able to be really effective against third down in that Rams game, a lot of that was because of Mooney Ward, shadowing Devante Adams. for a majority of that game. So, yeah, I think the Colts and Mooney Ward, you know, I think it's going to be interesting to see how it goes through training camp,

Starting point is 00:21:00 but I'm hoping for the best for him. He seems like a good guy and he's ready to roll this offseason. Water receiver coach Reggie Wayne also spoke to media today. He called Dionne Burks a steal in the seventh round. And the way that he spoke about Dionne Berks, you know, he kind of gave a round range of late round two to early round four is kind of where he would have considered taking Berks in this draft. So he was kind of shocked that Berks was even there in the seventh round,

Starting point is 00:21:26 talked about the speed that Berks plays with and how a lot of it right now is about focusing on how to get the ball into his hands and how Reggie himself can coach Berks up to being a full-time receiver and not just a guy who looks good in shorts. So he seems excited about getting a player like Berks late in the draft. Again, he came out right away and said like steal. He said that big S word that we all talk about with draft picks and he didn't shy away from it. So Reggie Wayne seems very excited about this young player and what he can be in the Colts offense going forward. Colts defensive line coach Marion Hobby spoke highly about the young players in

Starting point is 00:22:03 the system and how they want to get Jalen to him, Lowell, George Gumbs, and Caden Curry, a lot of snaps in the offseason program to get them ready for this upcoming season. So I wouldn't be shocked to see those guys just getting a lot of run, whether it's with first team, second team, third team, developmental team, whatever it's going to be. I think those guys are just going to log a lot of snaps this off season because the Colts are kind of in a place where they need these guys to be day one impact players for them, regardless of what their draft status was. So I think they're going to be very involved. And then one thing that Jake mentioned to me about talking with Tony Sbrano Jr. about the right guard, potential battle there at right guard, it does appear that

Starting point is 00:22:41 Matt Gonzalez is going to have all the leeway in the world to be that starter. And as I mentioned in the last segment, right, Matt Gonzalez is a guy that I am very high on, potentially being a breakout player for the Colts this next season. So I think Matt Consolvis is going to be a player that, you know, the Colts are going to rely on this year. I think he's going to be an impactful player for them. And I don't know why the Colts would kind of go away from him, you know, in terms of a young player like Jalen Farmer, who slipped today three of the draft. So we all know Tony Sprano Jr. is very, very high on Jaylen Farmer, but I don't think it's high enough to supplant a player like Gonzales, who played some good football. And it's coming into camp

Starting point is 00:23:18 in an even better shape to play that position this next season. So, you know, know some good things from the coaches here, relying on those young players. Reggie Wayne also talked about his changes from being a coach in his early days of being a coach to where he is now, talked about going from two cigars to one cigar and watching a lot of Netflix and going to bed early, though, instead of going out at night. So that got some laughs from the Colts beat. But yeah, I think this Colts team and the coaches are ready for the challenge this year. They're going to get a lot of young guys involved early and often.

Starting point is 00:23:50 and we'll see what these guys can do. But, yeah, Dionne Burks, I think is going to factor in a good bit this year. And then off the edge as well, like Marion Hobby mentioned, I think we're going to see Gums and Curry and obviously Jalen Tumaloa as well, factor in quite a bit this year in different roles. So we'll see what those guys are ready for in training camp. The Colts are going to give them every opportunity to step up and prove themselves. But there's going to be a lot to see with those guys.

Starting point is 00:24:16 But overall, the best thing that we heard about all this is like Mooney Ward is ready to roll. he appears to be in a much better place right now because for this Colts defense to really hit the peak that we want them to hit this year, for the Colts defense to really hit their stride, it needs to be with Mooney Ward and Soss Gardner playing their best football. So Mooney Ward being in a better place mentally, being more ready to go this year and just hopefully turning a chapter on what was it just a disastrous two-year stretch for him the last two seasons in the NFL, I think that's big, big news for the Colts. So hopefully we can see better out of that. and everything else going forward. But again, if you guys want to see the full videos on our YouTube channel, Jake is uploading them as I speak right now.

Starting point is 00:24:57 So he's going to slowly but surely produce all those videos out for you guys. So check them out if you're curious about any particular quotes. And thank you all for tuning in today to Lockdown Colts. We've back yet again tomorrow. So make sure you subscribe and follow Locked on Colts. So you get all of the latest episodes. And if you don't already, make sure you're following at Lockdown Colts at Jake Arthur and Afl and at Zach Hicks to all on social media.

Starting point is 00:25:18 If you never miss an episode, the Everyday Air Club. is built for you. Get us ad-free, plus members-only Discord access and much more. Head to LockdownColts.com to join the club. Thank you all for tuning in, and we'll catch you guys back here tomorrow afternoon.

Locked On Colts - Daily Podcast On The Indianapolis Colts - ADJUSTMENTS: Indianapolis Colts' Jaylahn Tuimoloau and Matt Goncalves Make Massive Changes for 2026

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