Roster Hole Could Determine if Colts Make the Playoffs

The Indianapolis Colts have built a roster that, on paper, looks good enough to compete in their division to earn a playoff spot. However, you look at a few key areas and question whether the Colts have the longevity to overcome some depth issues.

Recently, Gilberto Manzano and Matt Verderame of SI.com undertook the task of identifying the biggest roster holes for each NFL roster, coming up with quarterback, cornerback, and edge for the Colts.

"The Colts have a roster that’s good enough to make the playoffs … if the quarterbacks can do anything," Manzano and Verderame wrote. "Anthony Richardson dealt with injuries again last year while failing to complete half his passes. Meanwhile, Daniel Jones was benched in New York before the Giants released him. Those two are now competing for the starting job. Defensively, Charvarius Ward was an excellent signing, but is he enough to shore up the secondary? And up front, Indianapolis needs plenty from second-year man Laiatu Latu."

Quarterback is more of a question mark than a hole. The Colts have two players in Anthony Richardson and Daniel Jones who they're confident can win the job, and they're not going to add anyone else to the mix. The question is whether those players are good enough to lead a franchise for a season.

While it's fair to question whether the signing of Charvarius Ward can carry a cornerback room, he's not the only quality player in the group. Cornerback is arguably the most full position group on the roster outside of wide receiver. Kenny Moore II is one of the best nickels in the game. Jaylon Jones has been a solid starter for two years, Samuel Womack III was a starter last year, JuJu Brents is a former second-rounder who is a good player when healthy, and then the Colts just spent a third-round pick on cornerback Justin Walley.

Edge is also a question mark based on last year's production, but there shouldn't be much concern looking at the 2025 roster. The Colts are somewhat reliant on second-year player Laiatu Latu to re-spark a pass rush that went from 51 sacks in 2023 to 36 in 2024, but they're also getting Samson Ebukam back. Ebukam will be 30 years old returning from an Achilles injury, so while he may not be the same player he was, he should be good for some production. Kwity Paye, Tyquan Lewis, and second-round rookie JT Tuimoloau round out a decent-looking group.

Some position groups not listed but should be considered concerning as far as depth goes are linebacker (did they adequately replace E.J. Speed and Grant Stuard?), offensive line (was adding Jalen Travis enough?), and safety (who plays if something happens to Cam Bynum or Nick Cross?).

These were all recently addressed on an episode of the Locked On Colts podcast: