5 Most Indispensable Colts For 2026 Season

5 Most Indispensable Colts For 2026 Season

INDIANAPOLIS – Who are the Colts they really can’t afford to lose in 2026?

The month of July brings our annual indispensable Colts list, acknowledging that some players matter more to the roster when weighing their own individual play and the positional value, plus the depth at that position.

Who are the 5 most indispensable Colts for the 2026 season?

1. Bernhard Raimann: Since the Anthony Castonzo days, I’ve thought a quality left tackle has to be high up on this list. That’s especially true when you lack any notable tackle depth and your starting quarterback has been oft injured and is also coming off a torn Achilles in less than a year. Bernhard Raimann isn’t the best Colts player, but that’s not what this list is about. His loss would have a scary domino effect.

2. Daniel Jones: Quarterbacks always carry heavy weight when measuring levels of indispensability. A healthy Daniel Jones last season showed the potential of what could be there. There’s just too much volatility behind Jones on the depth chart to justify him any lower on this list.   

3. Sauce Gardner: When you make a trade like the Colts did for Sauce Gardner, his presence has to be on this list. The Colts have some real potential with their cornerback group, but you have questions in the health of Charvarius Ward Sr. and the NFL readiness of Justin Walley. Gardner needs to be a stud. Period.

4. Jonathan Taylor: If this was a list of the Colts “best” players, push Jonathan Taylor up to the top. But he plays a position where the indispensable nature isn’t as immense as other spots on the field. Still, Taylor is too dynamic of a home run hitter not to occupy a top-5 spot.

5. Laiatu Latu: Some might question putting Laiatu Latu on this list. Currently, he’s certainly not a better player than several of the names below. But he plays such an important position. And the Colts are lacking a lot of proven edge defenders on the 2026 roster. Normally, DeForest Buckner would carry the defensive line torch but his injury situation is continuing to Latu here.

-Others Considered: It goes without saying that all of the following names have a strong case for top-5 consideration. Many would put Alec Pierce in the top-5 and I can certainly hear that argument. He was next up for me. Tyler Warren is a budding star, but it’s hard for me to put a tight end all the way up there. Quenton Nelson is a future Hall of Famer, but such a player at offensive guard hasn’t meant January success for this team, and that is where the positional value impacts creating of such a list. I really considered Cam Bynum. He’s a quality safety and is surrounded by youth around him in the middle of the Colts defense in 2026. A healthy DeForest Buckner has been an automatic top-5 selection. But I can’t merit a place for him that guy again given the uncertainty around his neck injury