The Colts had a hit and miss defense last season led by defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo; it had a very high ceiling that ranked up there with any defense in the sport, but it also had its pitfalls. Despite having such an electric ceiling as a defense (holding the Seahawks to less than 20 points on the road late in the season, holding elite offenses in the Jaguars and Rams in check as well), the defense finished below average in both points and yards allowed. If the defense wants to fix its flaws heading into year 2 of the Lou Anarumo era, they will need not just his coaching to be better, but also the personnel. Here I will go into detail assessing the front seven personnel of the Colts heading into the 2026 season.
Set to start at the first edge defender spot is 2025 2nd rounder Jt Tuimoloau who had a decent rookie year that he is in line to build off of going forward. In his rookie season Tuimoloau graded (81/129) in terms of an overall defense grade among players at his position according to Pro Football Focus taking over 200 snaps. Tuimoloau will be expected to become a high-level starter if not a star heading into year 2 in the NFL.
Set to start at the first of the two interior defensive lineman spots is veteran Grover Stewart who is typically a very good starter, but who is coming off a down year. Stewart got off to a rocky start to his career but since then he put together five straight very productive seasons where he graded in the above average to well above average range among players at his position according to Pro Football Focus. However, Stewart had a down year in 2025 grading in the below average rang in that department, although only slightly so. Stewart will turn 33 years old in the middle of next season, and it remains to be seen if he can continue his strong play from years past.
Former first rounder DeForest Buckner is set to start at the remaining nose tackle spot and is a highly productive to a borderline elite starter. Buckner has garnered multiple All-Pro selections in his career and showed little to no drop off last season despite playing it at an advanced age of 31 years old. Buckner will play next season at 32 years old, so a drop off in his play could be imminent.
2024 1st rounder Laiatu Latu is set to start at the second edge defender spot, he was a remarkable college player and has lived up to expectations thus far in the NFL. Latu had one of the best rookie seasons I can remember tracking from any player as he graded in the well above average range among players at his position despite being a rookie. Latu then built upon it in year 2 in 2025 where he graded as among the best defensive ends in the NFL. Latu could soon begin to emerge as a household name as he goes into year 3 in the NFL and into his second year under defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo.
The linebacking core is the current weakness of perhaps the entire Colts’ team and the first of their starting linebackers is Akeem Davis-Gaither who is likely better suited as a backup and not even a high-end backup in that regard. Rookie 2nd rounder CJ Allen is likely the bright spot of the unit as he was a Consensus All-American and First Team All-SEC player in college in 2025. However, he is still a rookie and will likely see his growing pains. While 2026 4th round rookie Bryce Boettcher rounds out the starting linebacking core and was also an outstanding college player garnering first team All-American honors in 2025 but will also likely see his rookie growing pains.
From a depth standpoint in the front seven the Colts have some notable names that could transition to a starting role and/or provide the team with some high-end backup play. 2022 4th round edge defender Michael Clemons had a remarkable rookie season although dropping off since. 2018 3rd round edge defender Arden Key was a remarkable college player and a longtime NFL starter who showed a high ceiling as a starter but lacked consistency. The most noteworthy backup is 2024 5th round linebacker Jaylon Carlies who had a very strong rookie season in limited snaps and has played only 2 snaps since. Carlies based on his rookie season was in line to become a high-end starter in the NFL, and his presence is very important because of the concerns the Colts currently have in their starting linebacker core. While reserve interior defensive linemen Jerry Tillery and Derrick Nnadi share similar characteristics in that both are talented but very disappointing players. Tillery as a former first rounder has shown some ability in the NFL but often produces at a poor level, while former third rounder Derrick Nnadi has also shown quite a high NFL ceiling but has consistently performed poorly as of late. If either can play well then the Colts while have some decent interior defensive line depth.
Overall, the Colts have a very good front seven that has the potential to be a great one if young players in particular come into their own. However, there are many concerns as the team is starting multiple young unproven players, while some of the high-end proven starters are aging and have already shown signs of declining. The team has decent depth in their front seven but nothing that blows me away in all honesty. A breakdown of the Colts’ front seven heading into the 2026 season can be found below.
2026 Projected Colts’ Starting Front Seven
LDE – JT Tuimoloau – 2025 2nd rounder, C as rookie
LDT – Grovert Stewart – B to B+, aging, showed signs of decline last season
RDT – DeForest Buckner – B+ to A-
RDE – Laiatu Latu – A- so far as 2024 1st rounder
WLB – Akeem Davis-Gaither – C to C+, better suited as backup
MLB – CJ Allen – 2026 2nd rounder, Consensus All-American and First Team All-SEC in 2025
SLB – Bryce Boettcher – 2026 4th rounder, First Team All-American (2025)
2026 Notable Colts’ Front Seven Reserves
ED – Michael Clemons – C+, great rookie year in 2022, has fallen off since
ED – Arden Key – C+ to B-, high ceiling but inconsistent
LB – Jaylon Carlies – 2024 5th rounder, B as rookie in limited snaps, only played 2 snaps in 2025, could presume starting role
DL – Jerry Tillery – Former 1st rounder, C to C+
DL – Derrick Nnadi – C to C+, very high ceiling but very inconsistent
