2026 Indianapolis Colts Team Preview

By Brian Murphy, Thursday, July 30, 2026 1:07:12 PM EDT

Shane Steichen is entering his fourth season with Indianapolis after
posting a 25 -26 record over his first three years. His 2025 campaign
ended on a painful note: a seven -game losing streak to close the year
at 8-9. The Colts have now missed the postseason in each of the past
five seasons. Before arriving in Indy, Steichen served as offensive
coordinator for the Chargers and Eagles from 2020 to 2023, and he has
been coaching in the NFL since 2011.
Jim Bob Cooter returns for his fourth season as Indianapolis's offensive
coordinator. He previously held the same role with Detroit from 2016 to
2018 and got his start in the NFL as an offensive assistant with the Colts
back in 2009. Their offense gave him plenty to build on last season,
finishing 8th in points scored (466) and 9th in total yards (6,081), but
the loss of Daniel Jones was a significant factor in Indy’s fade down the
stretch.
Lou Anarumo is back for his second year as defensive coordinator after
a six-year run in Cincinnati, where the Bengals consistently struggled
to stop opposing offenses, ranking between 16th and 31st in yards
allowed in five of his six seasons. His best year with Cinci came in 2022,
when they held opponents to 322 points. Anarumo began his NFL
coaching career with Miami in 2012 as a defensive backs coach.
Indianapolis has work to do on the defensive side of the ball, after
ranking 22nd in points allowed (412) and 23rd in yards allowed (6,193)
last season.

Offense

Over the first eight games of last season, the Colts arguably had the
best offense in football (270 points with 32 touchdowns and 16 field
goals over their first 76 possessions). They ran the ball well (18
touchdowns) and averaged 8.5 yards per pass attempt, with strength in
their completion rate (71.2%). Indianapolis finished the year running the
ball 44.1% of the time, with plenty of reflection about what went wrong
down the stretch.
Indy fell to 17th in rushing yards (2,007) in 2025, with 27 touchdowns
and 10 runs of 20 yards or more. They gained 4.5 yards per carry on
26.0 runs per game.
The Colts jumped to eighth in passing yards (4,085), with their
quarterback tossing 25 touchdowns with 14 interceptions. Their
offensive line gave up 29 sacks. Indianapolis improved dramatically in
completion rate (65.8%) and yards per pass attempt (7.5) while upping
their pass attempts per game (32.2).

QB Daniel Jones, IND

Daniel Jones projects for 3901 passing yards, 20 passing TDs, and 12 INTs, with 291 rushing yards and 3 rushing TDs adding fantasy value for the Indianapolis Colts. This is a projection-derived draft blurb and requires player-ID and team validation before CMS import.

QB Anthony Richardson, IND

Anthony Richardson projects for 186 passing yards, 1.1 passing TDs, and 1 INTs, with 46 rushing yards and 1 rushing TDs adding fantasy value for the Indianapolis Colts. This is a projection-derived draft blurb and requires player-ID and team validation before CMS import.

RB Jonathan Taylor, IND

Jonathan Taylor projects for 319 carries for 1497 yards and 16 TDs, plus 42 catches for 323 yards and 2 TDs in the Indianapolis Colts offense. This projection-derived outlook should be reviewed against the depth chart, ADP context, and player-ID match report before CMS import.

RB DJ Giddens, IND

DJ Giddens projects for 51 carries for 208 yards and 1 TDs, plus 12 catches for 89 yards and 0 TDs in the Indianapolis Colts offense. This projection-derived outlook should be reviewed against the depth chart, ADP context, and player-ID match report before CMS import.

RB Seth McGowan, IND

Seth McGowan projects for 17 carries for 69 yards and 0 TDs, plus 6 catches for 43 yards and 0 TDs in the Indianapolis Colts offense. This projection-derived outlook should be reviewed against the depth chart, ADP context, and player-ID match report before CMS import.

RB Ulysses Bentley, IND

Ulysses Bentley projects for limited stat volume in the current projection set in the Indianapolis Colts offense. This projection-derived outlook should be reviewed against the depth chart, ADP context, and player-ID match report before CMS import.

WR Alec Pierce, IND

Alec Pierce projects for 70 catches for 1021 yards and 6 TDs in the Indianapolis Colts offense. This projection-derived outlook should be reviewed against the depth chart, ADP context, and player-ID match report before CMS import.

WR Josh Downs, IND

Josh Downs projects for 5 carries for 924 yards and 0 TDs, plus 87 catches for 924 yards and 4 TDs in the Indianapolis Colts offense. This projection-derived outlook should be reviewed against the depth chart, ADP context, and player-ID match report before CMS import.