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Agent's Take: Chris Ballard's Colts tenure might look much different had he made this blockbuster trade
Chris Ballard's Colts tenure might look much different had he made this blockbuster trade
Andrew Luck
QB · FA · 32 yrs · exp 10 · Stanford
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- Game status
- Injured Reserve
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NFL Week 6 overreactions: Time for Colts to clean house? A.J. Brown trade a mistake for Patriots?
The article discusses the Colts' collapse in Week 6 and whether it's time for the team to clean house, including possibly firing head coach Shane Steichen and GM Chris Ballard
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Fernando Mendoza is first No. 1 QB since Baker Mayfield who won't start Week 1
The Raiders naming Kirk Cousins their starting quarterback to open the 2026 season was hardly a surprise. While Las Vegas had been projected to draft Fernando Mendoza at No. 1 overall for months, the team’s brass had said publicly that its preference was for a rookie quarterback to sit and learn behind a veteran. But now that it’s official, Mendoza has become a member of a rare group of quarterbacks from recent years. Mendoza is the first quarterback since Baker Mayfield in 2018 not to start Week 1 after being selected at No. 1 overall. Mayfield’s situation was not particularly unusual at the time, as Jared Goff had been through the same thing in 2016. But since then, Kyler Murray (2019), Joe Burrow (2020), Trevor Lawrence (2021), Bryce Young (2023), Caleb Williams (2024), and Cam Ward (2025) have all been their respective club’s Week 1 starter after being selected at No. 1 overall. Since Matthew Stafford was selected at No. 1 overall in 2009, only Goff, Mayfield, and Mendoza have started the season as QB2. Sam Bradford (2010), Cam Newton (2011), Andrew Luck (2012), and Jameis Winston (2015) all started the season opener. Mayfield made it into a game by Week 3, taking over for an injured Tyrod Taylor to lead the Browns to their first victory since 2016 with a 21-17 victory over the Jets. He took over as Cleveland’s starter the following week. It took longer for Goff to ascend to QB1 for the Rams in 2016, as he began his tenure as Los Angeles’ starter in Week 11 with a 14-10 loss to Miami. Mendoza’s development will remain a priority for the Raiders, even as he won’t receive starters’ reps in the regular season. “ Early work, late work. More meetings ,” Kubiak said on Wednesday. “Plenty of time on the field between drills with [QBs] coach [Mike] Sullivan and [offensive coordinator] coach [Andrew] Janocko. Every player that is not starting the first game, that is helping us on the look team, we’re just trying to find every edge we can find to continue to get him better and his teammates better.” Aside from those selected at No. 1 overall, there are plenty of QBs who haven’t started early and ended up being successful. “I think there are so many examples both ways,” Kubiak said. “I think the most important thing with the quarterback room or any other position is to build competition within the room. That makes players so much better faster than coaching, when they have a guy in front of them that they can look up to and see how something’s done — that’s going to accelerate their growth.” We’ll see when Mendoza becomes Las Vegas’ starter. If Cousins plays well and the Raiders are winning, that might not be until 2027. But history suggests Mendoza will be on the field sooner or later as a rookie
TE · PHI
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Free agent TE Zach Ertz cleared for football activities
Free agent tight end Zach Ertz said in April that he didn’t want his torn ACL to be the final act of his NFL career. He still is seeking an opportunity to make that wish come true. Doctors have cleared Ertz for all football activities, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports. That should clear the way for Ertz to find a new team. He is working out at Stanford with his former college quarterback, Andrew Luck. Ertz, 35, tore the ACL in his right knee in a Dec. 7 game against the Vikings while playing for the Commanders. In his 13th NFL season, Ertz made 50 catches for 504 yards and four touchdowns for Washington. He has also played games for the Eagles and Cardinals and has spent time with the Lions
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Betting the Colts in 2026: See how Indianapolis' win total, Super Bowl odds are trending and our best bets
The Colts were one of the best teams in the NFL over the first half of last season and entered their Week 11 bye with an 8-2 record. But that's when the schedule turned brutal, with both games against the Texans and Jaguars down the stretch along with road trips to Kansas City and Seattle plus a home game against the 49ers. To make matters worse, starting QB Daniel Jones suffered an Achilles injury that left the team scrambling at quarterback. Jones' recovery will likely dictate how 2026 goes for Indianapolis, as the Colts seem likely to head into the season with Riley Leonard and Anthony Richardson again behind him on the depth chart. We're taking a look at everything you need to know before making Indianapolis Colts futures bets below, including odds, trends, 2026 schedule, offseason changes and more before sharing our preseason betting strategy for the team. Odds are via DraftKings. Fans interested in betting on NFL and Super Bowl futures should check out the latest DraftKings promo code . The market hasn't been impressed with the Colts' offseason, as their win total market projection has dropped since the start of the offseason. However, if Jones continues to receive positive health updates after participating in drills at OTAs, that could change as Shane Steichen has managed to win at least eight games in each of his three seasons coaching the team while juggling quarterbacks. Since last winning the division title in 2014, the Colts have managed fewer than seven wins twice and more than nine wins twice, with six seasons at eight or nine wins. The defining trait of that period has been instability at quarterback, as the team has finished with seven different leading passers in seven seasons since Andrew Luck's surprise retirement. If you want to wager on NFL futures, you have to check out the latest FanDuel promo code . The Colts ranking fifth in DVOA suggests their first half shouldn't just be written off as solely due to their schedule, and Pythagorean wins (based on point differential) put them closer to a 10-win team than an 8-9 team. Not only did Indy rank top 10 in yards per pass and run play on offense, the Colts played strong situational football and led the league in goal to go situations. The defense finished second in yards allowed per rush but struggled more against the pass and ranked just 26th in sack rate. Most of the Colts' focus this offseason was on defense, including bringing in two potential new starters with their first two picks in linebacker C.J. Allen and safety A.J. Cauley. Not as much was done to address the mediocre pass rush with Arden Key the primary new face. On offense, the sole move of note involves bringing in Nick Westbrook-Ikhine to replace Michael Pittman in the offense, with the team's loss at right tackle expected to be addressed internally after Jalen Travis played well in limited action as a rookie. Before you wager on NFL or Super Bowl futures, head over to our BetMGM promo code to see a great offer. The Colts have a brutal three-game start to the season with facing the Ravens, Chiefs and Texans before a trip to London, so things could get ugly early, particularly if Jones isn't ready for Week 1. They'll get to scrap a road game for international play, and the schedule gets more manageable after that, with plenty of winnable home games on tap. If you want to tail R.J. White and other SportsLine and CBS experts, check out the latest Caesars Sportsbook promo code . Steichen has worked wonders with what he's been given during his tenure as quarterbacks have come and gone, but this team appears to be a house of cards ready to fall. I can't expect the offense to look anything like it did last year with Jones coming off a major injury plus questionable receiving depth, and this team could be one or two key injuries away from focusing on the pursuit of the No. 1 overall pick, particularly with a tough opening two months on the schedule. Those looking to take a little more risk c [... truncated ...]
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NFL offseason power rankings: No. 17 Cincinnati Bengals better maximize Joe Burrow's prime, and fast
Certain teams in all sports, almost always in small markets, have to deal with regular speculation that their star player wants to leave . Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow opened that door himself last season. Late in a lost season that included another major injury, Burrow made some odd comments during a midweek media conference on his 29th birthday. "If I want to keep doing this, I have to have fun doing it," Burrow said . "I've been through a lot. If it's not fun then what am I doing it for?" A few days later, Burrow had one of the worst performances of his career in a sleepy 24-0 home loss to a Baltimore Ravens team that didn't finish .500. That was beyond strange, especially considering the remarks he made a few days before. That's all it took to spark debate among plenty of amateur psychologists. Most of them came to the conclusion that Burrow was saying he wanted out of Cincinnati, which happened in part because the Bengals aren't a popular big-market team. If the Giants or Jets quarterback ever indicates he's unhappy, you won't find a soul saying it's because he wants to leave New York. Play Yahoo's new College Fantasy Football game: Create or join a league now! Burrow said his comments had nothing to do with Cincinnati , but that didn't slow down the chatter. Whatever was going on, it was unusual. It brought to mind the story of Andrew Luck , who retired at age 29 after being frustrated with constant injuries on a poorly constructed Colts team. There were also comparisons to Barry Sanders and Calvin Johnson , who retired in part because the Lions kept losing. Burrow's grumbles have been mostly forgotten now. The Bengals won two of their last three games with the offense producing like it normally has with Burrow, Cincinnati trading Burrow never became an offseason storyline and Burrow said he was thrilled with the team's offseason, including a high-profile trade for defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence II. "I'm really excited about the moves we made this offseason," Burrow told Vanity Fair. "We need to get better, so it was exciting to see the initiative from everybody in the organization to realize that we're in this exciting stage." Maybe Burrow was just having a bad day when he sadly talked about not having fun. Even if that storm passed, the sentiment that Burrow isn't having the best time playing football lingers. The Bengals are just 19-16 in Burrow's starts over the past three seasons, and that includes missing the playoffs despite Burrow playing at an MVP level in 2024. Cincinnati has missed the playoffs three straight seasons. The Bengals' defense has become a big problem, and a spotty offensive line is a reason Burrow has suffered injuries that led to missed games. Burrow is an incredible talent, and if it weren't for one Super Bowl run in 2021 and a good 12-4 encore the following season, we'd be having Archie Manning vibes about his career. Or maybe it's a Dan Marino path, with an early Super Bowl loss and then never enough help to get him back there. The Bengals made big moves to assuage Burrow. The trade for Lawrence, in which the Bengals sent the 10th pick of the draft to the New York Giants , was the first trade involving a top-10 selection for a non-quarterback since the Raiders traded for Randy Moss in 2005. It was impossible to bridge the gap with Trey Hendrickson after a couple years of contract drama, but Cincinnati spent $60 million over three years to replace him with Boye Mafe . Safety Bryan Cook and defensive lineman Jonathan Allen each got $12.5 million per season to help the defense in Cincinnati. The offensive line didn't get much work, and that's an ongoing concern, but at least the Bengals did something. The Bengals still have an all-world receiving duo of Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins , a productive running back in Chase Brown and one of the NFL's best quarterbacks in Burrow. "I think this is the most talented roster that we've had since I've been here," said Burrow, wh [... truncated ...]
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Does Ty Simpson have potential to surpass Matthew Stafford?
The Los Angeles Rams must feel pretty good about the success of their monumental 2021 trade that swapped Jared Goff and a cache of picks for Matthew Stafford. The move resulted in a Super Bowl championship at the team’s home in SoFi Stadium. Years later Stafford is finding new heights in his career. He just put a bow on his most productive season yet and earned the NFL’s Most Valuable Player honors. Even with things going so well, the Rams understand quarterback is the most important position in football. Stafford’s career continuation is on a year-to-year basis. He could easily decide to call it quits after 2026. LA decided now is the time to prepare for the future. They drafted Ty Simpson with the thirteenth overall pick earlier this spring. There is plenty of time to discern what Simpson brings to the table and whether he’s someone that the Rams can be trusted with the keys as soon as 2027. As training camp approaches, now seems like a good moment to ponder on Simpson’s NFL ceiling. For as good as Stafford is, could Simpson one day surpass him? For most of Stafford’s NFL tenure, he was often the 8th to 12th best quarterback in the league. Many in front of him have hung up their cleats: Peyton Manning , Tom Brady , Drew Brees , Matt Ryan , Philip Rivers , Ben Roethlisberger , Eli Manning , Andrew Luck , and others. The league’s new elite quarterbacks are stylistically very different from those who have come before. There is a significant difference in the way they play the game from what makes Stafford successful. I’m thinking of Patrick Mahomes , Josh Allen , Lamar Jackson , Joe Burrow , Drake Maye , Caleb Williams , Jordan Love , and more. The NFL is in good hands with this emerging crop. But modern professional football almost requires quarterbacks to be able to win with their legs. You can get by with a savvy pocket passer, although in short-yardage and goal line situations you may be leaving meat on the bone if your signal caller can’t pick it up himself. This alone is one of the biggest changes the Rams will see when they one day transition from Stafford to Simpson. And certainly Stafford brings a headiness to his play that is unrivaled by the next generation. His no-look passes and ability to quickly progress through the defense gives Los Angeles a massive inherent advantage. There are tradeoffs for nearly any player teams decide to put under center. At least on the surface the Rams seem to understand where the quarterback position is headed. Simpson fits that bill from a stylistic standpoint. A common draft season knock against both Fernando Mendoza and Ty Simpson was that they are probably NFL starters but may be not better than mid-tier. Simpson has frequently been compared to Brock Purdy , a former seventh round pick and someone who may never become elite himself. But Simpson has Sean McVay’s seal of approval. That is meaningful for nearly anyone on the offensive side of the ball. While seeing Simpson in such a favorable light does require some hand waving and looking past a small sample size, you can certainly see why the Rams felt he was a fit for their system and that he has the potential to grow into a difference maker. One of the main concerns with Simpson is his frame. He stands 6-1 and weighed 211 lbs. at the NFL scouting combine. That weight is likely significantly heavier than where he played at last season while he was battling gastritis. For example, the below list of quarterbacks have a earned reputation for missing time. Being slight of frame is a real concern. Brock Purdy, 212 lbs JJ McCarthy, 219 lbs Jayden Daniels , 21o lbs Lamar Jackson, 216 lbs Kyler Murray , 207 lbs Joe Burrow, 221 lbs Josh Allen is pushing 240 pounds. Caleb Williams and Drake Maye are in the mid-220’s. Even 10 additional pounds may make a big difference in terms of sustaining hits over the course of a season. With an opportunity to observe one of the most savvy passers in football, time to build out his ph [... truncated ...]
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Colts What If: What if Andrew Luck never retired?
Yahoo Sports NFLSource ↗
The Colts What If series explores the impact of Andrew Luck's retirement on the franchise
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Colts What If: What if the Colts kept Philip Rivers for one more year?
Yahoo Sports NFLSource ↗
The Colts What If series revisits what could have changed if Philip Rivers stayed for another season
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Colts what if: What if the Colts had traded Luck for picks?
Yahoo Sports NFLSource ↗
This article explores a hypothetical scenario where the Indianapolis Colts traded the #1 overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft, Andrew Luck, to the Washington Redskins. The author delves into the team's situation in 2011, coming off a losing season without Peyton Manning, and the subsequent hiring of new management. The hypothetical trade would have involved the Redskins sending their 2012 #6 pick, #39 pick, and first-round picks in 2013 and 2014 in exchange for the Colts' second overall pick
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2026 Summer Scouting: 14 QB prospects with first-round potential
The 2027 NFL Draft is one of the most hotly anticipated in recent memory, and that’s being driven by a quarterback class that’s already being compared to those of 1983, 2018, and 2024. The New York Giants shouldn’t be paying particular attention to the quarterbacks this year. The hope is that Jaxson Dart will take the next step in his development and realize the star potential he flashed as a rookie. However, this class has historic potential that will drive teams’ decisions and could force talented players at other positions down the board to the Giants. So while our preview of this year’s college season — and next spring’s draft — will concentrate on positions of (potential) need for the Giants, we have to be at least aware of the quarterback class. Dante Moore (Oregon) – Moore almost declared for the 2026 draft as a red-shirt sophomore, but ultimately decided that he would be better served by going back to school and getting another year of experience. Even so, Moore was in contention with Fernando Mendoza to be QB1 and was praised for his poise in the pocket and being a natural thrower of the football. He has plus (though not quite elite) arm talent with good accuracy, precision, and velocity, and is also a plus athlete. Arch Manning (Texas) – No player was under more pressure than Arch Manning last year, and it definitely showed at the beginning of the year. The scion of the First Family of Football was disappointing (to say the least) to start Texas’ season, but did improve as the season wore on. He has the tools to be an elite prospect with size, arm talent, athleticism, and football IQ that could draw comparisons to Andrew Luck — if he takes the next step and realizes his potential. The top tier of quarterbacks is enough to get the national media excited for the upcoming draft, but it’s this tier, however, that is getting scouts hyped. This second tier of quarterbacks who could take the next step to jump into the top tier or establish a strong second tier is what could make this class historic. Any one of these quarterbacks has the potential to establish himself as a first-round talent with a strong year. Sam Leavitt (LSU) – Leavitt was promising at Arizona State over the last two years, but it was also clear that he still has untapped upside. Leavitt transferring to LSU should help him. While Lane Kiffin’s offense gets dinged for being too simplistic for the NFL, he’s also shown over the last two years to be willing to incorporate “Pro” concepts when the quarterback can handle it. John Mateer (Oklahoma) – Mateer is an unconventional quarterback who resembles nothing quite so much as a mashup of Baker Mayfield and Philip Rivers . He lacks elite measurables and his throwing motion is fugly, but it also works . He struggled with a thumb injury last year, but was electric before he got hurt. A fully healthy season could have him right back in the first-round conversation. Darian Mensah ( Miami ) – Transferring to Miami worked wonders for the draft stock of Cam Ward and Carson Beck , and Mensah could be the next in line. He was only at the periphery of the national conversation at Duke, but scouts were certainly intrigued by his tools. Mario Cristobal has previously coached Justin Herbert , Tyler Shough , Ward, and Beck, and Mensah could be the next quarterback he helps put in the NFL. At the very least, getting to play with Malachi Toney should be good for Mensah’s profile. Drew Mestemaker (Oklahoma State) – Mestemaker is the “ who !?” in this year’s draft class, at least as far as the national media is concerned. He’s a former walk-on who played for North Texas before transferring to Oklahoma State for the 2026 season. Mestemaker has good size (listed at 6-foot-4, 211 pounds), solid arm strength and accuracy, and enough athleticism to scramble and extend. He’s also well-regarded for his leadership, locker room presence, and football IQ. He might not be an unknown for long and could be hearing his name a lot more [... truncated ...]
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Betting the Colts in 2026: See how Indianapolis' win total, Super Bowl odds are trending and our best bets
The Colts were one of the best teams in the NFL over the first half of last season and entered their Week 11 bye with an 8-2 record. But that's when the schedule turned brutal, with both games against the Texans and Jaguars down the stretch along with road trips to Kansas City and Seattle plus a home game against the 49ers. To make matters worse, starting QB Daniel Jones suffered an Achilles injury that left the team scrambling at quarterback. Jones' recovery will likely dictate how 2026 goes for Indianapolis, as the Colts seem likely to head into the season with Riley Leonard and Anthony Richardson again behind him on the depth chart. We're taking a look at everything you need to know before making Indianapolis Colts futures bets below, including odds, trends, 2026 schedule, offseason changes and more before sharing our preseason betting strategy for the team. Odds are via DraftKings. Fans interested in betting on NFL and Super Bowl futures should check out the latest DraftKings promo code . The market hasn't been impressed with the Colts' offseason, as their win total market projection has dropped from just shy of 8.5 to slightly better than 7.5. However, if Jones continues to receive positive health updates after participating in drills at OTAs, that could change as Shane Steichen has managed to win at least eight games in each of his three seasons coaching the team while juggling quarterbacks. Since last winning the division title in 2014, the Colts have managed fewer than seven wins twice and more than nine wins twice, with six seasons at eight or nine wins. The defining trait of that period has been instability at quarterback, as the team has finished with seven different leading passers in seven seasons since Andrew Luck's surprise retirement. If you want to wager on NFL futures, you have to check out the latest FanDuel promo code . The Colts ranking fifth in DVOA suggests their first half shouldn't just be written off as solely due to their schedule, and Pythagorean wins (based on point differential) put them closer to a 10-win team than an 8-9 team. Not only did Indy rank top 10 in yards per pass and run play on offense, the Colts played strong situational football and led the league in goal to go situations. The defense finished second in yards allowed per rush but struggled more against the pass and ranked just 26th in sack rate. Most of the Colts' focus this offseason was on defense, including bringing in two potential new starters with their first two picks in linebacker C.J. Allen and safety A.J. Cauley. Not as much was done to address the mediocre pass rush with Arden Key the primary new face. On offense, the sole move of note involves bringing in Nick Westbrook-Ikhine to replace Michael Pittman in the offense, with the team's loss at right tackle expected to be addressed internally after Jalen Travis played well in limited action as a rookie. Before you wager on NFL or Super Bowl futures, head over to our BetMGM promo code to see a great offer. The Colts have a brutal three-game start to the season with facing the Ravens, Chiefs and Texans before a trip to London, so things could get ugly early, particularly if Jones isn't ready for Week 1. They'll get to scrap a road game for international play, and the schedule gets more manageable after that, with plenty of winnable home games on tap. If you want to tail R.J. White and other SportsLine and CBS experts, check out the latest Caesars Sportsbook promo code . Steichen has worked wonders with what he's been given during his tenure as quarterbacks have come and gone, but this team appears to be a house of cards ready to fall. I can't expect the offense to look anything like it did last year with Jones coming off a major injury plus questionable receiving depth, and this team could be one or two key injuries away from focusing on the pursuit of the No. 1 overall pick, particularly with a tough opening two months on the schedule. Those looking to take a li [... truncated ...]
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A Decade of Chris Ballard: 2016 VS 2026 Colts OGs
Yahoo Sports NFLSource ↗
The Colts are about to finish the offseason with some post-draft free agency moves, marking the 10th offseason under Chris Ballard. The decade of Ballard’s management has been a wild rollercoaster ride, albeit not all of it due to Ballard himself. But how does the Colts roster stack up from 2026 compared to 2016, the last year of the Grigson era? In this position by position series, we breakdown each spot of the Colts roster to see if the Colts are better or worse than their counterparts from a decade ago. If you want to find our previous entries of this series, you can find them below: Quarterbacks Running Backs Wide Receivers Tight Ends Offensive Tackles We are going over the Offensive Guards next! 2016 has one of the more underrated Guards in Colts history in Jack Mewhort. Arguably the best pick from the Grigson Drafts of 2013-2015 (albeit not a high bar to clear), Jack Mewhort was one of the more consistent bright spots along the Colts interior offensive line during Andrew Luck ’s career. 2016 was Mewhort’s best year as a pass protector, allowing just 18 Pressures in 410 pass pro reps at a 4.4% pressure rate. Andrew Luck was hit just 1 time on those reps, and received 0 sacks. As a Run Blocker, Mewhort was tied with Brandon Scherff as the 17th best Zone blocker in the NFL that year. However this success didn’t extend to Gap blocking, as he was the 10th worst graded blocker in that scheme. With both him and Castonzo’s clear preference for Zone blocking, its no wonder the Colts favored it in 2016. Tragically for Mewhort, 2016 marked the beginning of injuries that ultimately ended his career at age 26. He retired in August shortly before the 2018 season following major knee injuries in 2016-2017 that limited him to 10 and 5 games respectively. 2016 was the last time he made a major impact in the NFL for an extended period of time on the field. While Mewhort’s short lived career had its most efficient season (pass pro wise) in 2016, unfortunately his 2026 counterpart is arguably the best player on the team: Quenton Nelson. A thrice named 1st Team All Pro (2018-2020) and thrice named 2nd Team All Pro (2021, 2024-2025), and 8 time Pro Bowler in his 8 year career, Quenton Nelson is already in borderline Hall of Fame conversations so far in his career. To show how dominant Nelson is: his 73.2 Pass Pro Grade was the 2nd WORST mark of his career, ranking 13th among all Guards in the NFL. He allowed just 15 pressures in his 593 pass pro reps for a 2.5% pressure rate allowed. That is nearly half the rate of Mewhort’s best season in 2016. Nelson allowed just his 14th sack of his career (out of 4,846 snaps) in 2025, as well as 2 hits. Nelson isn’t just one of the best pass blocking Guards in the NFL, he also is a vicious run blocker who can execute a variety of blocking assignments and schemes with his excellent speed and awareness in the open space to pair with his power at the hit point. He had a 91.4 Zone Blocking Grade (2nd) and a 71.6 Gap Blocking Grade (10th) for an 84.5 Blocking Grade (4th) overall. Nelson has also been a beacon of health in his NFL career, playing in 129/133 potential games, missing only 4 games in 2021. While Mewhort’s impact when on the field shouldn’t be minimized or overlooked, unfortunately this battle is a very one sided affair. Mewhort was a rock solid Guard and a dedicated Colt, but going up against Nelson isn’t a fair comparison for 99.9% of Guards in NFL history. In NFL history only 12 Guards have gotten 4+ First Team All Pros in their careers, and all but 2 are Hall of Famers: longtime Saint Jahri Evans and Quenton Nelson’s fellow Notre Dame Fighting Irishman idol Zack Martin (who isn’t Hall of Fame eligible until 2030). Nelson already has 3. He has yet to play an NFL game after turning 30 years old this past March. He very well could have anywhere from 3 to 7 years left in the NFL, and a lot of it could be prime years knowing how well Offensive Linemen can play for a long time, esp [... truncated ...]
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A Decade of Chris Ballard: 2016 VS 2026 Colts OTs
Yahoo Sports NFLSource ↗
The Colts are about to finish the offseason with some post-draft free agency moves, marking the 10th offseason under Chris Ballard. The decade of Ballard’s management has been a wild rollercoaster ride, albeit not all of it due to Ballard himself. But after this Ballard decade, how does the Colts roster stack up from 2026 compared to 2016, the last year of the Grigson era? In this position by position series, we breakdown each spot of the Colts roster to see if the Colts are better or worse than their counterparts from a decade ago. If you want to find our previous entries of this series, you can find them below: Quarterbacks Running Backs Wide Receivers Tight Ends We are going over the Offensive Tackles next! We now have one of the toughest battles of this series: Castonzo vs Raimann. Both are proven franchise blindside protectors with 4-5 years of high level play, but neither have been a Pro Bowl or All Pro. The battle of the Austrian Oak vs Godzilla on the left side is as fierce as it is entertaining for fans of quality trench play. In pass protection, both have QBs in the middle of the pack in Time To Throw, with Luck holding on to the ball for 2.86 seconds and Jones for 2.76 seconds. That .1 second can make a big difference in pressure and sack numbers in the NFL. So let’s compare 2016 Castonzo with 2025 Raimann in Pressures, Hits, Sacks Allowed, and pass pro grade. Castonzo: 51 Pressures in 666 Pass Pro Snaps = 7.7% Pressure Rate Raimann: 31 Pressures in 549 Pass Pro Snaps = 5.6% Pressure Rate Castonzo: 8 QB Hits in 666 Pass Pro Snaps = 1.2% QB Hit Rate Raimann: 2 QB Hits in 549 Pass Pro Snaps = 0.4% QB Hit Rate Castonzo: 6 Sacks in 666 Pass Pro Snaps = 0.9% Sack Rate Raimann: 8 Sacks in 549 Pass Pro Snaps = 1.5% Sack Rate Castonzo: 79 Pass Pro Grade Raimann: 78.9 Pass Pro Grade Raimann has allowed less pressures and QB Hits, but Castonzo allowed less sacks (though Luck’s escapability and ability to shrug off would be sackers is a big factor too). However Castonzo had the harder assignment with Andrew Luck at QB in Rob Chudzinski’s scheme. Luck held onto the ball longer and Chudzinski put Castonzo in a True Pass Set 52.6% of his pass pro snaps compared to Steichen putting Raimann in a True Pass Set on just 41.7% of his pass pro snaps. A True Pass Set is a pass protection snap that is: without play action without a screen without a rollout with time to throw between two and four seconds with more than three rushers coming to attack the QB This eliminates a multitude of factors that can affect what a Tackle is asked to do in a set and how much help they get from either teammates or scheme. Raimann got more help on 9.9% of his pass pro snaps compared to Castonzo, which also helped his numbers. Thus despite the big gap in pressure rate allowed, the Pass Pro Grades for each Tackle is nearly identical. In Run Blocking, Castonzo was a dominant force on Zone concepts, earning a 82.8 Run Block Grade to pave the way for Gore and Turbin. But on Gap plays his Run Blocking Grade fell to 60.1, showing some issues there. Overall he had a 77.9 Run Block Grade as the Colts favored a Zone heavy blocking scheme with Chudzinski and the Colts gained 419 Yards (3.9 per carry) and 5 TDs in 2016 running from the combined B through D gaps on the left side. Raimann also favored Zone blocking over Gap blocking, with grades of 79.6 and 67.8 in both respectively. Raimann was more well rounded of a run blocker than Castonzo and the Colts had a more balanced split of Zone and Gap blocking (albeit favored Gap a bit more) in 2025, giving Raimann a 78.7 Run Blocking Grade overall. 2025 Colts runners gained 647 yards (5.4 per carry) and 8 TDs rushing through the B-D gaps on the left side, albeit Raimann did benefit from a better running back getting 4.2 Yards After Contact per carry on those runs compared to the 2016 RBs gaining just 2.4 Yards After Contact per carry on their runs in those gaps. Backups wise, 2016 has a clear [... truncated ...]
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Cardinals still waiting on Jacoby Brissett
The Arizona Cardinals opened their first Organized Team Activities (OTAs) of the offseason on May 18 at the Dignity Health Training Center in Tempe, Arizona. This event was labeled as voluntary, but every rostered player was urged and invited to attend. The most notable player absent was QB Jacoby Brissett , who has stated he wishes to be paid more for a starting NFL quarterback. At no time has Brissett informed the Cardinals that he is officially “holding out,” but so far, the franchise has had two workout events, and Brissett did not attend either. So, we will see. RELATED: BRISSETT AGAIN MISSING FROM VOLUNTARY WORKOUTS Some other players did not attend, including TE Tip Reiman , RB Trey Benson , LB Baron Browning , DE Josh Sweat , and OT Christian Jones . Players who did show up but did not participate in any drills included DT Walter Nolen , WR Starling Thomas , and RB James Conner . Brissett is his own agent, so his actions aren’t the result of someone guiding him. He came to the Cardinals before the 2025 season, signing a two-year deal with the idea that he was going to back up starting QB Kyler Murray . Which he did at first. Essentially, everywhere Brissett has played, he has been the quality backup. Meaning, if the starter became injured for a series or a game or a string of contests, Brissett was able to provide a capable signalcaller until the starter was able to return. Selected in the third round of the 2016 NFL draft by the New England Patriots , he backed up Jimmy Garoppolo for a year before being traded to the Indianapolis Colts . The Colts sold their fanbase on the notion that Brissett was going to become the team’s starting QB after QB Andrew Luck suffered an injury. And in that first season, he started 15 of 16 games. But over the years, he was in and out of the starting lineup, and after four seasons, he was allowed to test the free agent waters. Brissett then began his backup role with the Miami Dolphins , Cleveland Browns , Washington Commanders , and back with the Patriots before inking his deal with Arizona last year. That contract was for two years, which is not the usual for a primary backup QB agreement, whereas a single-year agreement is more common. Brissett was the right guy for the moment to be in a backup role with Arizona. The deal was for $12.5 million, which is decent for a backup position. But when Murray became injured and found IR his home for the remainder of 2025, it was Brissett who the team depended on. And when Mike LaFleur was hired as the new head coach of the Cardinals, it was Brissett that LaFleur chose as his starting QB going forward, as the franchise released Murray. And suddenly, the Cardinals had a starting quarterback with a salary of $6.25 million and a cap hit of just $9.19 million. That $6.25 million ranks #30 among quarterbacks. But in looking at the list of NFL quarterbacks, there are several non-starters listed that make more than Brissett, such as Marcus Mariota , Davis Mills , Anthony Richardson, and Deshaun Watson , not to mention the guys who are still under their rookie deals, who are paid more like Jayden Daniels , Bryce Young , Caleb Williams , and Drake Maye . The Cardinals and Brissett haven’t moved the needle on his contract re-work since a few weeks ago. When asked, LaFleur declined to discuss any new information about their conversations. During the OTAs, quarterbacks Gardner Minshew and rookie Carson Beck took all snaps. Although Brissett has played a lot of football in his 10-year NFL career, there is a new head coach at the helm. And a new OC. Plus, a new system that has different verbiage and schemes. All of this simply can’t be accomplished by showing up in the 11 th hour and expecting everything to go smoothly. Not to mention a new starting running back, a new slot receiver, and at least two new starting offensive linemen, if not three. Brissett has already been named the Cardinals’ starting quarterback
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