March 5, 2026, 3:42 p.m. ET

With free agency near, let’s explore what the Indianapolis Colts’ starting offense would look like at this very moment.

Now, to state the obvious, what this lineup looks like today likely won’t be what it will look like come training camp after free agency and the NFL draft take place. But what this exercise does do is provide us with insight into the current state of the Colts‘ roster.

None of the Colts’ current free agents were included since they could end up elsewhere.

From the sounds of it, addressing the defense will be a big priority this offseason for the Colts, but the offense has some current question marks of its own.

Let’s dive in.

Expert NFL picks: Exclusive betting insights only at USA TODAY.Colts projected starting offense before free agency

Quarterback: Riley Leonard

With the Colts looking to trade Anthony Richardson, I’m not going to put him as the starter. And while the Colts are working to re-sign Daniel Jones, that is yet to happen, leaving Leonard as the starting option.

On the transition tag, Jones is able to test the market, but the Colts have the opportunity to match any offer. With the state of the quarterback room, and also considering that Chris Ballard has to win now, he almost certainly has to find a way match any offer sheet Jones receives.

With that said, in utilizing the transition tag, Ballard must be quite confident in what he expects Jones’ market to look like when other teams are able to get involved.

Running back: Jonathan Taylor

The Colts need to add competition behind Taylor on the depth chart, but of course, he is the clear starter.

Wide receiver: Michael Pittman, Josh Downs, Ashton Dulin

The receiver room looks a lot different without Pierce. Re-signing him is a must, but he could choose to test free agency first. Pittman is also a potential cut candidate, with a $29 million cap hit in 2026.

Tight end: Tyler Warren

Mo Alie-Cox is an unrestricted free agent and Drew Ogletree is a restricted free agent. Warren will lead the way, but for a team that uses a heavy dose of two tight end sets, a complementary blocking-first option is needed.

Offensive line: Bernhard Raimann, Quenton Nelson, Tanor Bortolini, Matt Goncalves, Jalen Travis

Braden Smith is a free agent, which for now, leaves Travis as the starting right tackle. Travis was able to hold his own when called upon last season. We also saw the Colts during the 2025 offseason move on from Ryan Kelly and Will Fries in favor of Bortolini and Goncalves, so my guess is that they will take a similar approach with Smith and Travis this offseason.

Adding depth and competition behind this starting five will be a must.