March 7, 2026, 5:42 p.m. ET
With the addition of Colby Wooden, what does the Indianapolis Colts’ defensive tackle depth chart look like heading into free agency?
At the beginning of the offseason, GM Chris Ballard mentioned the need to get younger and faster on defense. The addition of the 25-year-old Wooden helps accomplish that.
At around the 290-300 pound mark, Wooden was a run-first defender, albeit an undersized one, with the Green Bay Packers.
After playing 558 defensive snaps in his first two seasons, Wooden played 622 snaps in 2025, which included making 16 starts. He ranked 38th out of 146 defensive tackles in PFF’s run-stop rate metric, but mustered just 14 pressures as a pass rusher.
With the Colts, Wooden will give the defensive tackle rotation a boost and slot in as the next man up behind Grover Stewart in what is primarily a run defense role.
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Adetomiwa Adebawore can then continue to see the field during more pass-rush specific down and distances.
The addition of Wooden shouldn’t stop the Colts from further adding to this position. Depth is still needed, and Wooden — along with DeForest Buckner and Stewart — is set to be a free agent in 2027.
However, his presence provides added stability at the position, not to mention that swapping Zaire Franklin’s salary for Wooden’s provides some needed cap relief.
While the defensive tackle position got a jolt, the same can’t be said for the linebacker spot, which is extremely thin.
Colts defensive tackle depth chart after Colby Wooden tradeDeForest BucknerGrover StewartColby WoodenAdetomiwa AdebaworeTim Smith