Will Colts Secondary Be Among NFL’s Elite In 2026?

Will Colts Secondary Be Among NFL’s Elite In 2026?

INDIANAPOLIS – Of all the Colts position groups in 2026, which one has the best chance at being among the league’s elite?

When you ask such a question some might jump to running back with Jonathan Taylor as the lead guy, or even tight end with Tyler Warren heading into Year Two.

Others might point to the offensive line, led by the stalwarts on the left side, plus a growing young trio that could rise to the upper echelon.

But how about the Colts secondary?

That might sound odd to say after Kenny Moore II departs after nearly a decade of providing reliable playmaking. Or even without Nick Cross, who ascended throughout his rookie contract years and won’t be as easy as snapping your fingers to replace.

Even with those departures, the Colts secondary has the potential to be among the league’s best.

It starts with the cornerback duo of Sauce Gardner and Charvarius Ward.

Both former All-Pros battled injuries last years, but healthy campaigns from them in 2026 would give the Colts an outside cornerback duo they haven’t had in years.

Safety Cam Bynum keeps it pretty concise when describing what he is expecting from the duo of Gardner and Ward.

“I expect people to be locked up,” Bynum says of Gardner and Ward.

In 2026, the Colts only got one full game out of having both Gardner and Ward on the field together (an overtime loss to the Chiefs).

What would their presence together mean to a Colts defense replacing a handful of starters?

“To have lock down, No. 1 corners on the outside, for me as a safety, that makes my job a lot easier,” Bynum says.

“It frees us up to make plays because you know the other team’s top two receivers are going to be challenged every week.”

A trio of Gardner, Ward and Bynum makes up 3 of the 10 highest paid Colts for this coming season.

Given that, expectations should be high.

And with more uncertainty around the type of pass rush the Colts are going to create, they need to rely on their secondary blanketing things for enough time for that up front pressure to dial up.

“I think it changes what we do,” defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo says of the Gardner/Ward combination. “You’ve got certain teams around the league that, if you’re not looking to help corners for whatever reason, then you can play a different style of football. If you got a (Broncos cornerback) Patrick Surtain II on one side, well that side of the field should be good. And if they catch the ball on him, it’s few and far between. And we have Sauce Gardner, we have Mooney. You’re a little bit surprised if the other team catches the ball.

“Now, it’s the NFL and we play really good receivers and they’re going to, but it’s not like they’re not going to be challenged and tight coverage. That’s what those guys are: A. That’s what they’re getting paid to do. And No. 2. They’ve proven over the course of their careers that they can both do it at a high level. So, it just gives me and our guys on defense, even the guys rushing the quarterback, knowing that they’re going to have an extra half a second or a second because the quarterback is going to have to hold the ball because they’re in tight coverage. It all works together. So, I think it gives the whole defense a feeling of, ‘Man, we got a chance here today.’ Not saying we don’t if they’re not out there, but it just it ratchets it up that much higher of a level.”

It’s possible the rest of the secondary will be filed by a pair of players who have never played a snap in the NFL (Justin Walley replacing Kenny Moore II and A.J. Haulcy/Hunter Wohler replacing Nick Cross).

But don’t think for one second, those on the back end have doubts about the ceiling they can reach.

“To be the best secondary in the league,” Bynum says.