Locked On Colts - Daily Podcast On The Indianapolis Colts - COLTS SQUAD SHOW: REAL DEAL - Can Caden Curry and George Gumbs Jr. Make an Impact as Rookie Rushers?

Episode Date: August 20, 2026

Are Caden Curry and George Gumbs Jr. ahead of the curve enough to contribute to the Colts as rookies? The Squad convenes to answer that question, while also getting into their expectations for Keenan Allen in his WR3 role, reactions to Jonathan Taylor's showing on the NFL Top 100 list, and dissect an update on Tyler Warren's injury.    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  Give the squad a follow on X/Twitter @Schultz975, @JakeArthurNFL, @ZachHicks2, @allenpinkett, @colts_hit, @LockedOnColts, and @ColtsOn_SI, as well as on TikTok and Instagram!  Locked On NFL League-Wide: Every Team, Fantasy, Draft & More  🎧 https://lockedonpodcasts.com/podcasts/lockedoncolts  Everydayer Club  If 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 Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors! FanDuel Today's episode is brought to you by FanDuel. Join all the action at https://FANDUEL.COM to play Daily Dingers and make your free pick on who’s hitting a homer this MLB season. KALSHI For a limited time,Download the Kalshi app and use code [LOCKEDON] to get $10 when you trade $10. Square Get up to $200 off Square hardware when you sign up at https://square.com/go/lockedonnfl! #squarepod Gametime Today's episode is brought to you by Gametime. Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDON for $20 off your first purchase. FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires 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) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Welcome to the Colt Squad Show. I'm Derek Schultz. And in honor of school starting, we've got our own new guy. I'm Jake Arthur. And I really want to see Alan Pinkett sue the NCAA for a fifth year of eligibility. I'm Alan Pinkett, former Euler. And as a former running back, I am glad to see J.T. get some more praise. I'm the new guy. Will Starloper getting here ready for Keenan Allen's MVP season. Nation rise up. It's the Colp Squad, everything Indianapolis Colts every week. Covering all the big hits and game-changing plays from the Circle City, the way only the Locked-on podcast network can. It's time to squad up. The Colt Squad Joe starts now. Welcome to the Colts Squad Show. Tonight show is brought you by Kalshi for a limited time. Download the Kalshi app and use code locked on to get $10 when you trade $10. Once again, I'm Derek Schultz. Longtime Indie. Sports talker. I'm joined by Nour name legend and longtime NFL running back who only played four collegiate seasons. He's Alan Pinkett and also Locked on Colts daily host. Jake Arthur is here as well, but we've got a new member to the Colts squad tonight.

Will Starlipper. He's our new Locked on Colts hit hosts, short form videos and more from Will, which you can expect on a different YouTube channel. We've got his own X account that's set up. Just look for Locked on Colts hits with Will. Welcome to the show, but it's great to have you. Appreciate it. Excited to be here. to talk some Colts football. Will's debut show is going to be a really good one. Obviously, we're into the nitty-gritty of the preseason. We're wrapping up training camp in Westfield with only a handful of more sessions before the Colts get into preseason game number two coming up here on Saturday. But we're going to talk about some of the rookies that we highlighted after the Colts preseason win, according to Zach Hicks.

In reality, it was a 13-13 tie in the opener. Is what we're seeing from George Gumbs Jr. and Caden Curry real and how they could factor in his rookies. we'll discuss that to lead off tonight show. In segment number two, and I know Zach and Jacob have been all over this since it happened a couple of days ago with the Keenan Allen signing, so I don't want to lead with that.

But still, we haven't had the chance to talk about Keenan Allen. At least we were talking about him as a projected player when we were discussing whether or not the Colts would sign him, but now that we know it's for real, his fit, our expectations on his production for his 2026 season, how he compares to Michael Pittman Jr. We'll get into all of that in segment number two

and even let Will discuss on how he's possibly going to win MVP. That'll be an interesting one. Segment three, we'll get into what Alan said. Jonathan Taylor, number 17 on the NFL top 100 list. Another big season on tap for JT. will discuss. And then our squad squibs will give some of our final Westfield takeaways as they wrap up for our final time, sadly, Westfield

before they take training camp to the Colts Complex starting in 2027. Also, of course, the Tyler Warren groin issue we have to get into from what happened with the joint practice today. And the NFL talking about a team outside the union. United States, which has been discussed about for a long time, but Roger Goodell talking about it again recently. We'll tell you what he had to say coming up in our squad squibs segment. But first, guys, Jake, let's start with Kate and Curry and George Gums Jr. You know, obviously they'd been turning

heads. The two were dominant in the Thursday preseason debut. They combined for seven tackles, two sacks, three TFLs, four quarterback hits. Curry also added two past breakups. I mean, he was all over the place. We compared him to JJ Watt on the Thursday postgame show. I guess the question is, how much of this is for real because you're talking about, you know, two guys playing against probably a lot of players that aren't going to make the roster on Thursday night and they're still rookies, right? And they're still two day three picks. But can you find roles for each of these guys if they continue to show that they're, I think ahead of even where the Colts thought they would be at this point? Yeah, I think it's, it can be really difficult to kind of sift out the fools

gold when it comes to like summer star pass rushers because we've seen it before. You know, Caesar Rayford, I feel like Ben Banagoo usually wound up with a pretty decent summer when everything was said and done after each year. So you just kind of look at like they're defining traits and what they're really good at and how it translates, you know, regardless of whether they're going up against future insurance agents or the first team, you know, what have you. And when it comes to, we'll start with Curry. So I think his ability to play inside and out is huge. he's someone who when even in the pre-draft process Zach and I weren't huge on him and then after the Colts drafted and we're like I don't know about this because he doesn't you don't know what his like defining positive trait is he's got historically short arms he's not got great

overall size he's not got great athletic testing he's like what it winds up being is just his motor energy and feel for the game of football like Sometimes you have no better explanation than the guy just is a football player. You know, he can play inside and out again, like I mentioned. Last weekend during practice, he filled in for Luke Rhodes a little bit, long snapping at one point. The guy just understands and instinctually, I think he just knows what to do in most situations. I asked him about it after practice that day with the past breakups.

I was like, you know, did anyone hammer that into your head growing up or anything? because not everybody does that. I mean, it's a simple concept, but not every pass rusher does that. And he said he was taught that at a young age, and it's just kind of lizard-brained stuff to him now. He just automatically does it. So I think his ability to play inside and out,

his just understanding for what situation he's in at all times, really helps, but also being on special teams. I think that will give him utility right away. Now, do I think he's going to be a stud and look like he did against the Patriots every week, absolutely not. Like there might even be weeks where he's a healthy scratch because rookie defensive linemen and pass rushers in particular,

it just takes a while to be effective. But just because he could do so much, I think he will have some sort of baseline of contribution most weeks. With gums, I'm a little more skeptical. I love his get-off and his explosiveness. He's got a lot of tools. He does have great size and athleticism. I just don't think he knows how to put it all together quite yet.

When he does beat guys, I think he's got a couple of good moves. Like he's got a good cross chop and the good stab and stiff arm coming around the edge. And he is going to be more explosive coming off the snap than a lot of the tackles he's going against. But when you say he's going to go up against Laramette Tunsell or Trent Williams or just like the elite tackles of the league, I think they're going to have him figured out pretty quickly. I think when he can develop some savvy and just reps, reps, reps, more time in the league, I think he's someone who's pretty intriguing, but for now I think he's probably perfectly suited to really look good in the summer against guys who he is more probably bigger than and more

athletically inclined than. So I think the summer is set up really well for gums, but like when we get to the regular season, he's a guy where this still could be kind of a red shirt ear for him on defense, but I do think he's going to play on special teams. Well, I just appreciate the guys playing like they want to make the team. Now, I didn't get to watch the game live because I had power outage here in northwest Indiana, but I did, I was able to watch the game taped. And like I said, just appreciate the effort.

But you think about it, it wasn't that. much of a step up from the colleges they came from, which are basically semi-pro is probably semi-pro league, Ohio State and Florida. So they had good competition to go against all the time. So coming up to the NFL, big step, but not something that was going to intimidate them or have them fear anything. So, you know, sometimes in these preseason games, you know, guys, will just play reckless and FAS because they're trying to make the team but these guys actually played

like they knew what they were doing. So will it last when they, like you say, Jake, when they get against some high caliber tackles, we don't know, but the best thing they can do is make it difficult for these coaches to figure out who's going to stay on the roster. So I think it was good. And it says something about the depth that you have on the edge and the competition.

Because now you got JTT saying, whoa, I need to step up my game. You know, and all the other guys that are there in that room, now there's some full-fledged competition. Because it's one thing to do it in practice. Another thing, do it in a game. You want to earn your stripes, make some plays in the game. And that's really bottom line, dudes making plays. Yeah, I mean, like you guys have said, like watching the Patriots game, you come away with that. I'm just like this curry guy is all over the field.

And Gumbs has his own athleticism. Obviously, I think he, I believe he was just short of like tying the vertical record in the combine for edges. And, I mean, he was like a walk on tight-in years ago. So, I mean, he's certainly got certain traits and he's a bit raw. I mean, I also expected him to have a bit of a red shirt year. But it's really good to, you know, see these guys making noise. I feel like the Colts have had some recent struggles hitting on edge defenders in the draft. And, you know, Gumbs's practice highlights and Curry's preseason game highlights.

It's good to see that stuff, even though they got some guys. to pass up on the depth chart and play some better competition. It feels good to see some hype from the edge position specifically so early in their careers. Yeah, and with Curry, I think giving them functional depth on the defensive line is something that they haven't always had. I mean, you go back a couple of years, and of course they've moved guys around. And like a great example to me is Taven Brian, right? you had him go to nose tackle and it was a disaster. Like, can he play that position?

I mean, sure, can he technically he played it, right? But it was awful. Like, if Curry can give them some functional depth behind there, I think that gives him some value. And then honestly, Jake, with George Gumbs, you know, it's kind of one of those guys where we've been, well, to your point, we've been so routinely disappointed by young edge rushers

that have been brought in here. it's just a nice surprise to have somebody come in and you'd be like, damn, he looks good, actually. He looks ahead of the curve. He doesn't look behind. He looks ahead. And I know that we're talking about a really small sample size. So I want to be careful here because, you know,

you brought up some names that I haven't thought about Caesar Rayford and forever. I mean, you brought up some names in there that are deep cuts, right? But I just think that to be encouraged by a young pass rusher is actually a, a positive thing for Colts fans after being disappointed time and time again, it feels like in these August. I do think that's a good point because if you think about some of those guys that have stood out, they've been UDFAs or they were like camp bodies that pleasantly surprised and there just probably wasn't going to be room for them on the roster.

Like Dorel and Chami is a good example from last year as well. Did wind up kind of rotating up from the practice squad a few times last year. But Gumbs is a guy that does now have some. draft pedigree with the team. You have high hopes for him long term, but you're kind of holding back expectations because he's raw. He's new at the position. He's one of these kind of athletic guys that is not a sum of his parts yet, almost like a Kamoko Torre type of guy. But for him to be already productive, I think is a very good sign because I think coaches in a lot of these instances, First, they're kind of like trying to break these guys down a little bit, rebuild them from the ground up and get them to being productive in practice.

So to already have kind of showing some traits like his get off is really, really good. And just his explosiveness and bend around the offensive tackle has been really good. So to already have those things that he seems like he's good at, I think is pretty positive. He said it himself after practice the other day. He's not necessarily trying to bring in a lot of new skills. he's trying to hone in what he's already good at and like master that and like help him take help that take him to the next level so then he can kind of add new things into his tool belt but get really good at what he's already good at and then go from there so yeah I agree I think it's

certainly a positive step that he already looks like he's got some some skill to him and some praise to the scouting department for the cults uh because yeah you know you don't earn your money by the first rounders you pick because they're already bona fide players and going to come in and make plays. But you find somebody on day two or day three that can come in and make plays, then you secure your spot on that scouting department. And, you know, the Colts save some money because they have to pay them a bunch of money. Yeah.

Yeah, it's just nice. It's nice to feel good again, or I guess optimistic would be. the right term optimistic about a young pass rusher when there's been so much pessimism over the years. But then again, you know, as we've talked about, I was pretty optimistic, what was it, three, four camps ago about Ben Banagoo. And we all know how that ended up turning out, even though he was a day two pick and not a day three pick. But eventually just the law of averages suggest that eventually the Colts are going to hit on one of these guys, right? Yeah, I would say it seems it would be hilarious if, you know, Chris Ballard cannot hit on a day one or

day two edge, but he nails this fifth and sixth round from this one random draft out of nowhere. I think they'd be very on brand. It would be fitting. When we come back here on the Colt Squad Show, even if he can't win MVP, can Kenan Allen at the very least be the Colts wide receiver three we discuss next? This portion of the Colts Squad Show brought you by Calci before the season even kicks off. Everyone's making predictions. Who wins the division?

Who makes the playoffs? Who's lifting the trophy at season's end? on Cal She, America's number one prediction market platform. You can trade those predictions in a live market. Will the Colts qualify for the playoffs this season? As of today, Indianapolis still holding steady at 38%, meaning a 100-hour trade would pay out over $252 if they clinch a playoff spot. Not a bad little payday there. If you're feeling particularly frisky, I guess I should say really, really frisky,

a $100 trade for the Colts to win the whole thing would pay out over $4,600 if they raise. the Lombardi. How about that? That's not all they have when it comes to predictions, though. You can trade in other categories like division champion, conference champion. And of course, the team who you predict is going to win the whole thing. Like I mentioned, you can do all of it on Kalshi. On Kalshi, you are trading against peers in a live market, meaning there is no house. And as the probability changes, you can buy in and out of your position. Trade the draft pick, the game, and more on Kalshi. Download the Kalshi app and use code locked on to get $10 when trade $10. K-A-L-S-H-I-Cal-She trade on anything.

18 and over only. Restrictions and eligibility requirements apply. Event contract trading involves risks and may not be suitable for all investors. Cal-She products are not available in all jurisdictions. Prices, values, and available markets may differ from those mentioned. For more information, see calshy.com slash regulatory. And we're back on the Locked-on Colts Squad Show. Thanks so much for joining us alongside Mainstage Jake Arthur,

Locked-on Colts daily host, Alan Pinkett, former NFL legend. We've got the new guy, Will Starlipper from Locked-on Colts hits, joining us for his maiden voyage here on the squad show. I want to remind you once again about the Everydayer Club. Don't forget to check it out for ad-free episodes and access to an Everydayer Club group chat with Jake, Zach, and other listeners of Locked-on Colts. Tap the link in the show notes or go to Lockedonpodcast.com slash Everydayer Club.

So, guys, with the way that the news cycle is now, you know, back in the old days, and Alan, you remember this. You'd wait for the morning paper, right? When you get the news or the 11 o'clock TV news for breaking news, things like that. You know, Keenan Allen signed two days ago. Now it feels like it was two months ago, right? It's already been kind of chewed up, sped out, chewed back up again, the whole deal as far as the Colts news cycle is concerned.

But still, we haven't had the chance to react to Keenan Allen, the Colt, yet on the squad show. So I wanted to allow some time to do that. I think most of the feedback, Jake, that I've seen from Colts Nation, has been very positive. right. In fact, a lot of people were banging their fists on the table for the Colts to do something at this position to fill out the depth. And certainly Allen has the comfortability and the ties with Shane Steichen. And you look at his production over his career. I mean, he's been a borderline Hall of Fame level player, at least from a production standpoint.

We know how tough it is for wide receivers in Canton, but still, you know, a thousand plus receptions, six-time pro bowler as well. I'm just encouraged by the fact that the Colts aren't asking to come in here and be Peking and Alan. You know, there have been cases in the past where they've signed guys and they're like, we want to get that old version of you that we remember. And whether it be Hakeem Nix or Andre Johnson or, you know, some of these other guys, they just kind of fell flat on their faces. Can Allen at the very least be the teams with a healthy Tyra Warren? I think you're looking at maybe the fourth option.

And I'm hopeful that he can at the very least, be that. Yeah, I think so. And I don't, again, I don't think you're looking for like a huge role from him. But the Colts like to do their receiver core as like a basketball team where everyone's got this very specific role. And if you assume Alec Pierce and Tyler Warren and Josh Downs kind of carry the thing, I've kind of just assumed that Keenan Allen is here mostly for passing downs, for third downs, fourth down, just like key situations. Because you're probably still going to want to Ashton Doolin out on the field on early downs to, you know, with running the ball and everything, you'd much rather have Doolin out there blocking than you, than you would, Alan.

But I was trying to think of a good analogy and you watch more basketball than I do. Derek, maybe you could put a Knicks spin on this. But I was thinking maybe he is heat Mike Miller during the LeBron days, not the star of the show, but you know what? They really needed Mike Miller down the stretch. You could hit those clutch threes. I think that's maybe what Keenan Allen is here.

Maybe get you like, I don't really know what they're what they're hoping for in like maybe 50 balls, 50 catches or so. Maybe like 500 yards. Like I don't think they want him at the top of the stat sheet for them all the time.

The good news is they've said this doesn't have anything to do with Alec Pierce's recovery. In fact, it sounds like Pierce continues to improve a little bit. But yeah, I just think for what this move is, which is just getting another capable guy in the room that's been there and done at. Like, we've talked about like, yeah, this is year 10 for Laquan Treadwell. What are we expecting? Keenan Allen is even older than that, but Keenan Allen has been productive throughout his entire career. And he's never been a guy reliant on youthful factors like his explosiveness or anything like that. He's just always been one of the smartest

players on the field who understands how to get open and is one of the greatest route runners of his generation. And those things don't, those things are still there. They can't just disappear. So I still think there's room for him to be productive. As long as we're not expecting like some sort of pro bowl level production from him and we're real with what role is that he should be playing, I think it'll be a pretty productive move for them. Well, I liked the, the signing because he has gone to Pro Bowls. He's used to running these routes. Let me tell you something, the longer you stay in the league, the smarter you get.

And in terms of recognizing coverages, learning how to cheat on some routes, you know, picking up little indicators from DBs where, okay, I know I can make this sort of move on this guy and get open. not to mention the fact that he's a he's a big body like pitman was so every quarterback appreciates a big target but you know i heard he's 34 years old dudes 34 is not old you know i before the show uh i text tim brown and i'm like man how old were you when you retired he was 38 and he made Jerry Rice were old back in the day at the end of the Raiders. Well, he made the Pro Bowl at 35, and Jerry Rice made it at 38. And I'm not saying Keenan Allen is a Jerry Rice or a Tim Brown.

But the maturity that he has, you know, like I say, the longer you stay in the league, the smarter you get some of the athleticism leaves with the caginess, you know, the ability to, you know, be more cerebral out there, you know, comes into. to play. And I think that it was great for the Colts to pick them up because, let's face it, we're getting good reviews about the defense, but the offense is going to be the engine that drives this team. And they're going to have to score a lot of points. And one of the ways they're going to have to score a lot of points is having the ball. So if I don't see him as a guy who, well, what's the saying, take the top off the defense? No, make first downs, man.

You know, keep possession. He can be a possession receiver. And, you know, I think a lot of defensive coordinators are saying, oh, snap, who the hell are we going to cover? Who are we going to double? You know, what are we going to do? They got four bona fide receivers. So what the hell do we do?

Do we play zone? Do we try to man them up? And I was listening to you guys today, Jake. And Zach pointed out, you know, some of the. those stats, you know, sometimes stats can verify what your eyes tell you, you know, but his win percentage against man coverage and how many times people went, quarterbacks went to him on third and fourth down, dude is clutch, you know, so at 34, I think he's at the top of his game, not going downhill.

Hill. And so we'll see how soon Daniel Jones can develop a chemistry. The one thing that is going to help him a lot is he knows this offense. All right. So he might be able to school Daniel Jones on, hey, look, I'm going to alter my route this way on this particular coverage. And I guarantee I'll be open. So have the ball coming. Yeah. I mean, I don't look at it. it as a, you know, we're picking up this guy that has put up 1,500 yards in his career, and maybe we can get that, obviously, he's 34 years old. But I think that it's going to be, it's a way more valuable signing than some people give it credit for.

Obviously, along the lines of this is a veteran guy that knows how to get open. He's played with Shane Steichen before. They have a bit of a connection there. his production over the last two years combined. You look at him and Michael Pittman together. It's nearly identical. And what I like about it is short-yarded situations, I think, are going to be crazy tough for defenses to cover here.

You have Taylor in the run game, obviously, but those shorts intermediate guys, Tyler Warren, Josh Downs, and Keenan Allen, and then Pierce to take. deep ball off. I thought that this was something that was pretty bound to happen. Looking at the receiver core, you know, I said a few times, you know, you have Pierce banged up, you have downs dealing with his growing and obviously Warren's growing now. I was like, if any of these guys misses time, this is a thin, thin, wide receiver core. And I really think that this solves this problem. We're not looking for Keenan Allen to come out and return to number one wide receiver. but I mean last year he had a late signing with the Chargers

and all of a sudden the first six weeks of the season everyone's like Keenan Allen's their wide receiver won like he was he was bawling so I think more so not the one number one but he can be on any given game a number one option for that game if needed go out and put he catches 88 yards in a touchdown yeah I sort of looked at it as kind of to your point will or leaning into that I looked at the Keenan Allen signing more at what it means for the guys behind him in the sense that now you're not asking Ashton Doolin, and I love Ashton Doolin on this show, right? Everybody, I would lay in traffic for Ashton Doolin, okay? So I want to preface that before what I'm about to say,

but I don't want to ask Ashton Doolan to be the second outside wide receiver, right? I don't want to ask him to be something that he's not. He's a complementary receiver and he's a special teams ace. Those are some of the things that he can be. And I think he can even have an increased role, even if you take him away from special teams as a wide receiver. But I was uncomfortable with thinking of him as like the third option in a good passing offense. And now with Keenan Allen, you bump everybody back down to kind of where they belong, where Doolin is the fourth guy, at least from the wide receiver's standpoint. And then the rest of the players are allowed to just kind of lean into the special teams aspect of it all. So, um,

I still have kind of like what we talked about with the pass rush guys. I still have some PTSD from the Colts have had a really ugly track record of veteran wide receiver signings. I mean, when like Donnie Avery is among the gold standards of vet receivers, no offense to Donnie Avery, but come on. Like it's not been a great track record over the last 10 to 15 years when they've brought in veteran guys. But the familiarity with Stuyken, the versatility. He could play inside. He could play outside. Alan, you had kind of mentioned it, you know, keeping opposing defenses.

guessing and things like that. The maturity that he brings to the table, just the fact that he's been an established productive player. I mean, a thousand career catches. He's like 15 off Reggie Wayne. And we're banging the table here about Reggie Wayne getting in the Hall of Fame, right? Keenan Allen's had a fantastic NFL career. So I just think he brings a lot to the table besides just, you know, what he's, the role that

he's going to fulfill, even a diminished role at his age for the 2026 Colts, Jake. Yeah. Yeah, I'm, you mentioned that and I just, I picture now Keenan Allen and Reggie Wayne in the receiver room. And I'm like, what an opportunity for even like, like Josh Downs is a coach's son, but even a guy like Josh Downs can learn so much. Like Dion Burks. Like if Dionne Burks doesn't get just like an incredible amount of knowledge out of that pairing, that's just wild to me. But yeah, it's just, it's funny how the Colts wind up being this like, retirement home for former chargers like

Keenan Allen and Philip Rivers is two ships passing in the night. They didn't quite link up again here, but maybe you never know what can happen. A second Colt has made the NFL top 100 list and he's not a former charger. He may be in store for his best season yet. We'll talk about the Colts biggest stars hopes for 2026 when the Colts Squad Show returns next. This portion of the Colts Squad Show brought you by Game Time. There are more live concerts than ever we're seeing right now. games, concerts, comedy shows, festivals,

the hard part usually isn't deciding what you want to attend. It's actually getting the tickets between long wait times, confusing checkout processes and surprise fees. Buying tickets can sometimes feel harder than it should. That's why so many fans are turning to game time. The app is built to make buying tickets simple with upfront pricing, seat views before you buy, and exclusive savings opportunities that help you get to the events you want

without the usual hassle. If you hate buying tickets with those other apps, make the migration over to game time, where they take the guesswork out of the price and the frustration out of the experience. We talked about the views before you buy. A great example. The other day, I needed tickets to,

there's a September game coming up that we're making the trip out for. Purdue, UCLA. I'm going out west in a few weeks. I was unfamiliar with the Rose Bowl. I've never been there. Most IU fans have been there now at this point. As you guys know, it has been a minute

since Purdue actually played in the Rose Bowl, 25 plus years to be exact. It's an older stadium. It does not have same of the same sight lines as the new generation venues. So I was really like, I want to make sure that these seats I can actually kind of see what's going on. Game time, let me see my exact view from the seat, not some generated image to give me the best idea of where each location was so I can make the most educated purchase. Take the guesswork out of buying tickets to every type of event with Game Time. Download the GameTime app, create an account and use code locked on for $20 off your first purchase.

Terms apply. Again, creating an account and redeem code L-O-C-E-D-O-N for $20 off. Download the GameTime app today. And we're back on the Locked-on Colts Squad Show alongside former NFL or Alan Pinkett, Locked-on Colts Daily host Jake Arthur, and Locked-on Colts hits host Will Starlipper. My name is Derek Schultz. Thanks so much for being here. Colts preseason game number two coming up here on Saturday.

And this is our midweek edition of the Locked-on Colts Squad show. As the season begins now with the summer ending, you can now expect to see us every Wednesday night. Same bat time, same bat channel. Only Alan knows what I'm talking about there, 9.30 on Wednesdays. And then we will move eventually to Sundays, when the cold start playing on Sundays, of course,

for our locked on Colts squad show game recap. So the two Saturday preseason games will have game recaps for you. Every Sunday game this season, every Colts game period this season, we'll have the game recap for you, but Wednesday night will be our midweek show. So set those reminders on your phones and such.

I know we kind of moved around during the summer or staying on Wednesdays for the midweek show. The NFL Top 100 list. We haven't talked about this since several weeks ago, guys, when they're obviously releasing it piecemeal, but Quentin Nelson first appeared on the list. I don't remember exactly where it was. I think it was somewhere in the 90s, like 99 or something.

Was it 99? Was that way to wait a while for the next cult, and that's probably, you know, fitting given where the franchise has been here lately. But I actually think that they got it right with number 17 for Jonathan Taylor. I think he deserves to be considered a, top 20 NFL player. He was on pace last season for MVP candidacy before everything turned to ash. And a lot of that was not his fault, right? Once Daniel Jones went down and the offense

kind of collapsed, teams were able, opposing defenses were able to really hone in on him and it quieted the rest of his season, but still a guy that it's hard to believe is entering, what is it now, 21, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, year 7. How was that even possible? Year 7 of Jonathan Taylor, he's on contract three. But Jake, I still think this is one of those guys where, you know, sometimes with running backs, you got to be careful, right, because the cliff comes and then they're off the cliff and that's it. But I still feel like the best is still yet to come for Jonathan Taylor.

Am I crazy? I don't think so. I mean, we just now saw him become as complete of a running back as he ever has been last year. Statistically, career highs across the board and receiving, whether it was, actual receptions, targets, yards, whatever pro football focus graded him as that being his best year in receiving and pass protection. That kind of hit a lull at midseason as well. But in the first half of last year, we thought his past protection had grown unbelievably.

It was really, really good. So as far as becoming like a true three down, complete back, I think last year is the first time we've really seen that from him. So it shows that he's still growing in certain areas. I think we were very pleasantly surprised at the explosiveness that he showed because I know for me, I thought, you know, maybe since 20, late 23, 24, he didn't look as explosive as he did previously, like back in 2021 when he was unbelievable, but that like his vision and patience was really, really good. And then he started popping off long runs again last year.

So the guy's vision and patience is as good as ever, and he still does have the explosiveness. So I agree. I think he's getting better with age. Now, eventually that will turn. Is he more of a Derek Henry, or are we just knocking on something that's going to plummet here soon? I would like to think that the Colts can get him to age 30 while still being productive, and then maybe they can reevaluate things at 30 years old. But I'm hoping this contract, which runs through 2028,

continues to see Taylor in his prime. And with how well he takes care of his body and like how careful he is and everything, I don't think there's any reason to see why he won't remain playing at a very high level. So, you know, the running back position is one of those not for long type positions. And I think just in my experience, the shelf life of a running back, a full-time running back is about six years. But in Jonathan Taylor's case, I feel like he's ascending. He's getting better. And I think a lot of that is due to his conditioning, his attention to detail with his body. What was it? It was either Jake, you or Zach

told me that right after a game, he immediately goes and starts the process of, you know, getting his body back in shape. I remember when I played, I didn't feel right until Friday. And on Friday, I got a full body massage, you know, so a tribute to him for that. But I don't know as much Colts history as you three, but I consider him a modern-day Edron James, you know, and what did edge, Edd said that he was a, not a full-time back, but an every downback. And I think Jonathan Taylor showed that he's in every downback when he added, you know, the blocking aspect and pass pro to where you don't have to take them out

to arrest them. You know, there's, I guess, a little saying, no block, no rock, you know, And so maybe somebody said that to JT. And he's like, well, let me go ahead and block up this defense man. So they'll give me the ball four or five more times. You know, and then his, his, his, his patch catching. And I'll tell you one other thing that is, is helping his durability is because we're, we're in a situation where, you know, the defense is always trying to catch up with the offense.

and what has happened is in contemporary NFL, you know, balls being thrown all over the place. So what's happened with the defense? Defense has gotten a little bit smaller, all right? You got edge guys at 225, 230. You got linebackers at 210, you know, when I played against linebackers that were 250, all right? And so the defense has gotten a little bit smaller because they're really trying to protect against these big explosive plays, and they have to guard all these fleet receivers.

And so the offense comes back and says, okay, we're just going to get heavier on the offensive line, and we're going to pound you with the run because you're smaller than us. I think the Eagles took full advantage of that when they won the Super Bowl that year. So I think Jonathan Taylor is benefiting from the fact that he's not having to go up against, you know, big-ass linebackers anymore. And he's, he got some weight in his ass too so that, you know, if he has to run over somebody every now and then, he can do that. I mean, he's got a perfect blend of explosiveness and power. And he's got, you know, it does very well reading, being patient when he has to be patient. but when he has to step on the gas pedal can do that. And so being listed as a top 20, number 17, to be exact,

a top 20 player befits him because he is a star at that position. And I don't want to jinx him. But when I look at him run and I look at certain things with running backs, you know, certain mechanics, even I was happy to have a chance. chance to watch him practice. He is constantly, constantly working. You know, on the sideline, he's having somebody throwing passes, you know, the over-the-shoulder passes where he has to turn his head and look back. He's working on something, you know, so always trying to improve his game. And I think that the best is yet to come for him. Yeah, I thought 17 was a pretty,

pretty solid spot i know that we had a locked on network ranking and he was down at 28 which i was kind of shaking my head a little bit yeah um but yeah i mean after the year he had last year i i 100% agree that the receiving i mean that was a pretty big leap in receiving kind of like a derrick henry type of production earlier in his career in the receiving game and i think he was up to nearly 50 catches last year uh and the explosiveness as well i do think that kind of relates to obviously, you know, he had 1,800 yards and 18 touchdowns back in 2021. And last season was the first season that he played 17 games since that season. You know, he dealt with ankle, wrist, back, even contract disputes and missing training camp. So I certainly think

that that has an effect. And, you know, he's 27 years old. I think, I would say, in today's day, you may start seeing a bit of a decline probably around 28, 29. So I think he's got a good, a good year or two maintaining this prime Jonathan Taylor after what we saw last year. And especially being able to, you know, pretty much has a top 10, top five ranked offensive line, depending on what metric you're looking at. That's certainly valuable for, you know, for the trajectory of his career. Yeah. And the thing about these lists and Jake, I know, you've brought this up before. Jonathan Taylor and his biggest performances,

unfortunately, have been limited essentially to between the months of September and December. So he's just not on the national radar. I mean, obviously people play fantasy football. Like people know who Jonathan Taylor is, right. But he's played one playoff game, you know, one. Whereas, you know, these other player, you know, Derek Henry, who you mentioned, has played nine. You know, Christian McCaffrey's paid 10, 12.

You know, I don't even know at this point how many he's played. and, you know, you haven't had Taylor necessarily be on that stage. And I think you would have more love for him and higher rankings, not that these lists matter, but as we're talking about, they would be higher if his team and the guys around him, one more. You know, when you go eight and nine every year, it's kind of hard to be, you know,

consider the top five player in the NFL or even a top 10 player in the NFL, when your team is just, eh. And that's kind of what the Colts have been here over the past couple of years. So I feel for Jonathan in a way in the sense that, you know, he's done all of this and hasn't had the team success to show for it. And I just keep hoping, Jake, now that he's on to the third contract, will we finally get a chance to see Jonathan Taylor play? Not to say that hasn't played in high stakes games. I mean, those games in December, that huge run that he had against New England in 2021 that everybody talks about. I mean, that was a game for playoff positioning.

And you thought at that time the Colts were in like Flynn when it came to the postseason. And that was a very high stakes game, but not like the high state games in January, you know, where championships and February are won. Yeah, I think the running back value thing is a big discussion. I mean, it's happening in our comment section right now. A lot of people do say, like, yeah, Jonathan's been unbelievable, but it hasn't led to wins, which is true. But just kind of imagine the position the Colts would have been in without him.

Like, they don't even come close to being like 500. you know, they've been swimming in this mediocrity around 500 for several years now. They don't even come close to that without the production he's given them. So it's more of an indictment on the Colts not being able to field an entire roster than it is, you know, they're able to get him propped up. But I don't think, I don't know, it's there is a thing about value in running backs and everything. But it's true. Like team success is the ultimate.

thing that shines a light on good players in general. Like there are, you think about guys like DeForest Buckner has been outstanding for a long time, but underappreciated because the Colts really haven't had success. So I agree. It's a whole big discussion about, you know, running backs and do they really lead to wins and everything?

It's like, yes, but you have to have the type of roster that supports it. Because I mean, look over the years like Corey Dillon with, the Bengals was outstanding, but didn't matter until he got to the Patriots. You know, Fred Taylor with the Jaguars, kind of the same thing. A lot of guys that had just been kind of trapped in obscurity because their teams were just so-so.

And I just, I hope the Colts don't really wind up wasting Jonathan Taylor's Prime because this is a guy who, if he had a Super Bowl or two under his belt, is on a Hall of Fame trajectory. Yeah. Like, he's, he's really unbelievable. He just has not had the team's success. Since we started the stream, we have gotten some news on Tyler Warren's injury. And it's, well, we'll tell you when the Colts Squad show returns next.

I know that's mean to make you wait through the break for that, right? And it's all ominous. Welcome back for a final time to the Locked on Colts Squad show, fully squatted up here. Zach Hicks will return for our postgame show coming up on Saturday after preseason game. Number two, we're thrilled to have Will Starlipper with us from Locked on Colts hits. Good news for Tyler Warren's injury. So there we go. Good news. In fact, it's not even a groin injury. Apparently, it's an abductor strain, according to reports. And several Colts, media members mentioning the fact that it is not as serious as once believed.

I believe there was a national report that said he could be back as soon as next week. I'm assuming that the Colts are going to handle this with the caution that it deserves. but if you didn't hear earlier today, he did leave practice, which was thought to be a groin injury. He did walk off on his own power, had a little bit of a noticeable limp, though. But it looks like the Colts have at least avoided a disaster and certainly a serious injury where Tyler Warren was going to miss time would be a disaster, Jake. But let's lead off the squad squids there. I mean, you were out there today. What did you see from it?

And I'm assuming that you have the same sense of relief that all of us do, if this is indeed not serious as the report. indicates. Yeah, I wasn't too worried. I mean, it happened right in front of me. He walked off the silent, like, and he got up and he was in clear discomfort and he was grabbing for like his his high upper right thigh. So you kind of figured like groin right away. And he just talked to a trainer for a minute, went off to the medical tent medical area. They wrapped it up with ice and he had it on for maybe 15 minutes or so before he took it off. And then just kind of kind of chilled and watched practice the rest of the time. So it didn't seem like it was all that serious. And again, he walked all the way over to the medical area by himself, which is really not

close from where the injury was first beginning. So yeah, it's good to hear officially. It sounds like maybe they just keep him out tomorrow against the Falcons. And then obviously the starters aren't going to play in the game anyways. So if we see him back at the facility next week, great. But that's a guy who I don't really need to see him the rest of the the preseason. I think we know who Tyler Warren is. And physically, he can chill for a while. I don't really think we need to see him anymore. And the groin is one of those, those regions in your body that, you know, how do you rehabilitate it? You know, there's no lift or drill you can do. It's basically ice and rest. But you got to let it heal fully because you do not want that

thing reoccurring. I've pulled a groin before. It is not pleasant. You know, and, you know, sometimes a growing pull comes because you've been in training camp for how many days? What is it, 12, day 12? This was 13. 13. Lucky 13. You know, so sometimes there's just, the muscles are just tired. The muscles are saying, damn, how much, how much more are you going to make me run, you know, and the muscles will just say, okay, I'll get your ass back, you know, I'll just, you know, be injured. So you got to take care of that thing. And, you know, there's a mental aspect to when you pull the groin because you remember what it felt like, just like the Achilles we talked about with Daniel Jones. You remember what it felt like when you felt

that jolt, you know, and then had to start limping, you know, you know. And then had to start limping, you So I would just say, I'm glad that it's not serious, but anything in that region, you want to make sure that you are fully healed so that you can go out and not be thinking about it and execute and play like you did before you injured the groin. Yeah, I mean, from what I'd heard, it didn't seem too bad from anyone that was there. So I, you know, I had the positive outlook on it. But obviously there's something in the back of my head of this groin thing can be tricky. I mean, Brice Hall, I think, is going to miss three weeks with his groin expected to right now. So I was hoping that that wasn't the case. So that is great news there.

But I had the same thought as Jake when I heard about that. I was like, listen, we don't need to see anything else for more. And sit him down until, till week one, get him rested and no tweaks there. Yeah, just again, so much of what I have to offer for the show is PTSD from past Colts failures. And just thinking about like the key injuries that always seem to happen during training camp. You know, once I saw the Tyler Warren news, I just thought, you always think for the worst. But I'm glad to hear that it doesn't look like it's going to be all bad there. This comment from Roger Goodell, you know, I kind of took it as a continuance of the whole someday feeling when it

comes to an NFL team internationally. Apparently he did an interview with a German station and said at some point there will be an NFL team outside the United States. And he has no doubt it will happen someday. Well, someday could be any day, right? Someday could be five years from now. Someday could be 58,000 years from now when we'll see an international team. I do find it interesting that we're entering season 20 of the London games.

Hard to believe that it's been that long because it's been such a part of the regular, were, you know, it seems normal now. Like I remember watching the first ever one, Jake, with Dolphins and Giants, who's during the Giants Super Bowl season was a hideous game. It was like 13 to 10. I just remember Eli Manning ran in a touchdown, I think, in that game, which was odd to see either of the Manning brothers.

Was that Wildcat-era dolphins? I think so. I think that would have been, what, like Ronnie Brown and that group of guys. Yeah, he was like four years old when that game occurred. Well, yeah, that was a minute ago. You know, the poster, Will, you got in the background, this is the 20th anniversary of that season, which makes me feel impossibly old from Super Bowl 41. But, Jake, what are your thoughts on?

I know we've talked about, you know, the London and the Jaguars were talked about for a while. And then obviously, you know, they've gotten some solid footing there now in Jacksonville. But Mexico City has been brought up, I think, as a possible market. There's always Toronto with the bills or some other franchise. just because Toronto is already part of other major American sports. But what are your thoughts on just the sundainess, I guess, of an NFL international team? If it stays within the continent, I don't see a big issue with it. Like if you go Toronto or like Vancouver, Mexico City is probably not all that far.

Like if you stay within, again, the continent and you're not having to go overseas and everything, I just think you get into too many, too much red tape and there's just, you're doing too much if you do all that. Because I mean, I'm sure there's other leagues out there that do this. But can you, are there any other leagues that have international teams across oceans? Is it like, I don't, probably not. Like, the NFL just doesn't have to be so obsessed with money that it has to do. Like, it's, it's literally like empirical stuff.

Like, we don't have to do this. You know, like the NFL is already this big monster. And I don't even think going overseas really helps you that much. Like, you do the international games and everything. You do several years. You do more and more every year, which is great. I don't think that's a big problem. I think you probably need to take care of your players a little better when it comes to that and probably add more buys.

But having like a whole franchise that has to have a. regular 17 game schedule with visitors and they fly and do this and all that and like going over to London or Berlin or parent like it's it's just doing too much it again no other league really does that and it's for obvious reasons like it's just too much travel it's too much red tape there are like I'm sure there's like working visas and stuff that have to there there's passports involved like it's just too much and sometimes I think the NFL gets too grandiose of ideas, and this I think is one of them. Well, if there's one thing the NFL likes, it's making money.

And you got to think about it like this. The United States makes up what percentage of the world's population? 4%. Yeah. That means there's 94% growth potentially. 96. This thing worldwide. So all they can do is get big.

Now, the logistics you talk about, you know, of flying to different time zones, wear and tear on the body. I think one thing positive that would come from it is these NFL teams are going to be forced to go by the passports for the players because a lot of players aren't going to come in there with passports. So, you know, that'll save them a few bucks, you know. I don't know if it's inevitable. and I think what you say, Jake, about keeping it on one continent makes sense, but sometimes that's the problem, you know, because why can't we tap into London? Why can't we tap in to Berlin? Why can't we tap into Australia? You know, there's lots of money to be made. And the guys that are making decisions aren't hitting anybody, aren't throwing a ball, you know, but they cash in checks.

So it's, it's, it's probably going to happen in my lifetime, and it's, and I'm old. Yeah, I mean, they've been, they've been talking about it for a while. Obviously, you said 20 years of London, and they're slowly doing more and more. I mean, last year had Dublin, Berlin, Madrid, I think Brazil this year, they got Mexico City. London, Europe. So that's just been something that's been talked about. Obviously what Alan said, of course, of course the NFL is going to want to have the money grab going on for them.

But I think for the for the sake of franchises, coaching staffs and employees and players, you know, I can promise you they're not excited about having to travel that far, deal with the time zone and in a quick turnaround. for a game on Sunday. I will say selfishly, though, I would not mind a every 9 a.m. game every Sunday. It is pretty cool. It's cool to wake up.

And if you're on the West Coast watching this show, you guys know what we're talking about. I mean, that's breakfast buffet and football sounds pretty awesome. Before we wrap for tonight, though, Will, we've got a couple of minutes left on the show. Let's kind of get to know you a little bit. Our new Locked On Colts hits hosts, We see all the vintage Colts posters in the background.

You told us that you're in North Carolina right now, but how did you become a Colts fan? And when did you start kind of following the team and fall in love with Indianapolis? Yeah, I moved to North Carolina last year, but I spent the first 23 years of my life in Indianapolis growing up. My dad actually worked for the Colts for a long, long time. So I got to be around a lot. I actually went to both Super Bowls.

I got to see this behind me. I think I was four years old or something like that. So unfortunately, I remember the loss against the Saints more than the win over the Bears. I remember crying on that one. But yeah, I mean, I've just been, you know, five or six years building the social media following, talking sports, talking Colts, talking fantasy football. So reached out to Zach and he was like, we would love you to talk Colts football. for us. Did you, and have you noticed out there, I think one of the strangest things for me, because I've lived in Indy for 20 years now, I've lived in Indiana basically for 25. And one of the

weirdest things for me, like at near the end of the Peyton Manning era was that suddenly you would travel other places in the country and see people wearing cold stuff. He'd be like, what? Where am I right now? Like, because they became sort of this mainstay franchise because of Manning and because of the success that they had. But have you noticed that just kind of walk around Carolina? I'm sure you're reping Colts all the time, seeing people at what do you have, Piggly Wiggly. I don't know what the Kroger equivalent is.

Maybe at Publix, I don't know if they get up that far in North Carolina, but you see people who are Colts gears out and about every once in a while? I actually, there was, when I moved here, like the first weekend, I ran into somebody with the Colts jersey on it. I was like, no way. But outside of that, not too much. I have friends doing grad school in D.C. and kind of all across the country where there's like a cults bar. I don't unfortunately have any of that around here.

But yeah. It was just it was Akeem Nix, just picking up some eggs and some bread just returned to North Carolina. He was wearing his own jersey. Hakeem Nix. Shout out to Hakeem Nix. That's the second Hakeem Nix reference on this show in one show. That's wild. That shouldn't even be allowed.

Well, it's great to have you here. I did see the Downs North Carolina jersey on campus. Awesome. Okay. See, yeah, there's some other Jeff Saturday, right? There's some other connected tissue, UNC tar heels over the years. There's like nine Duke players on the team right now. A lot of Duke guys.

Yeah. I can't think of many Philip Rivers, but I can't think of many NC State guys. Because there weren't that many. Well, yeah. That's a good point, Alan. We'll shout out your handles as well, too, for the new socials for lots. on Colts and the hit show and where we can kind of our fans can find you as well so they can add that to their locked on Colts repertoire.

Yeah, I think there's a couple of different usernames depending on the platform, but Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, YouTube. It's either Locked on underscore Colts hit or Locked on Colts hit or Colts hit. Kind of a few different, few different usernames there. Awesome. Well, we're excited to have you. And thanks for coming in on the squad. Don't be a stranger.

Appreciate it. That's our buddy Will Star Lipper, and that is our show. Thanks so much for joining us on this latest edition of the Colts Squad Show. We are your place for post-game Colts reaction. So our next show will come on Saturday following the Colts preseason game number two. Our Colts squad shows will follow each and every Colts game this season, including the preseason. And we'll also have our midweek show every Wednesday night, 9.30 p.m. So set your calendars, watches, iPhones, androids, the whole deal now.

Don't forget to keep it locked on Jake and Zach every day on Locked on Colts all season long. Be sure to follow at Lockdown Colts on socials and add our buddy Will and locked on Colts hits to your socials as well. Check our other great content on YouTube and TikTok and we'll see you next time right here on the squad show.