June 30, 2026, 8:05 p.m. ET
Between now and training camp, we will be going through the Indianapolis Colts’ full 90-man roster, previewing each player.
Up next is safety Ben Nikkel, who wears No. 34.
ProfileHeight: 6-1Weight: 210Age: 25NFL experience: One yearCollege: Iowa StateBen Nikkel’s tenure with the Colts
The Colts signed Ben Nikkel to the practice squad late last August during roster cutdowns. He was then signed to a reserve/future contract for the 2026 season in January.
Expert NFL picks: Exclusive betting insights only at USA TODAY.Recapping Ben Nikkel’s 2025 season
Nikkel spent the year on the Colts’ practice squad. He did not appear in any regular-season games.
He went undrafted in 2024 and signed with Washington as a UDFA. Nikkel was with the Commanders through that summer before being released during roster cutdowns. He was then signed to the Commanders’ practice squad in October of 2024 and remained with the team until late August in 2025.
Looking ahead to Ben Nikkel’s 2026 season
The safety room became quite crowded this offseason with the numerous additions made by GM Chris Ballard. This will make it difficult for Nikkel to earn a roster spot.
We can consider Cam Bynum, AJ Haulcy, and Hunter Wohler to be roster locks, while Jonathan Owens and Juanyeh Thomas are recent free-agent additions. That is potentially five roster spots accounted for, and it’s not often that a team keeps six safeties. For what it’s worth, the Colts did keep only four safeties on last year’s initial 53-man roster.
That said, the Colts can get out of Owens’ and Thomas’ deals with relative ease if needed during roster cutdowns. If Nikkel is going to make any sort of roster push, standing out on special teams will be a must since that is where his playing time would come from. But as a young developmental player, another year on the practice squad is the most likely landing spot for Nikkel.