March 28, 2026, 7:24 a.m. ET

It’s been a fairly active free agency period for the Indianapolis Colts. But what items still remain on GM Chris Ballard’s to-do list?

So far, we’ve seen the Colts make nine outside free agent signings and the team re-signed several of their own free agents, including Daniel Jones and Alec Pierce. Zaire Franklin and Michael Pittman were traded away as well.

However, Ballard still has work to do.

The good news is that the Colts have quite a bit of available salary cap space. The bad news is that at this stage of free agency, finding any high-impact help isn’t likely.

In the draft, the Colts have somewhat limited resources as well, with seven total picks, including only two in the top 100.

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But regardless of when or how Ballard addresses the remaining Colts’ needs, there are three high-priority items still to take care of.

Can the Colts find high-end defensive end help?

The additions of Micheal Clemons and Arden Key help solidify the Colts’ defensive end rotation, with Samson Ebukam and Tyquan Lewis no longer on the team. Both Clemons and Key could provide upgrades as well.

However, ideally, those two defenders remain rotational members of the rotation. What the Colts still need to find is a high-impact pass rusher to pair with Laiatu Latu. But accomplishing that becomes much more difficult without a first-round draft pick.

As a unit, the Colts ranked 30th last season in ESPN’s pass rush win rate metric.

What’s the plan at linebacker?

Signing Akeem Davis-Gaither helps provide some stability, but there is still a lot of work to be done here. As of now, the second-most experienced player at this position group for the Colts is Jaylon Carlies, who has played 244 career snaps, almost all of which came in 2024.

Depth is needed, and more competition for playing time is needed. You name it, the Colts need it at linebacker. This is a position where Ballard should be double-dipping in the NFL draft.

Finding depth at other position groups

With Pittman now in Pittsburgh, the WR3 role for the Colts is up for grabs. Currently competing for that playing time are Nick Westbrook-Ikhine and Ashton Dulin. The prudent move on Ballard’s part would be to bring in additional competition.

Along the offensive line, while the starting five is on the roster, this is another unit short on experienced depth.

Ballard would make two additions at safety in free agency, signing Jonathan Owens and Juanyeh Thomas, but this is a position with its share of question marks outside of Cam Bynum. For much of their careers up to this point, Owens and Thomas have been primary special teams contributors. Outside of those two, there is really no experienced depth on the roster.