March 14, 2026, 6:54 a.m. ET

The Indianapolis Colts were named the best team fit for one of the top remaining free agents.

ESPN’s Bill Barnwell selected the top nine remaining free agents who remain unsigned and then selected good fits for them. Among the free agents mentioned was offensive tackle Jawaan Taylor, and Barnwell’s favorite landing spot for him was with the Colts.

“Massive 6-foot-8 tackle Jalen Travis made four spot starts at the end of last season and should be the favorite to start on the right side if general manager Chris Ballard doesn’t add a tackle, but Taylor would be a more reliable option in a season when anything short of a playoff berth could lead to widespread changes in Indianapolis,” Barnwell wrote.

As mentioned, long-time right tackle Braden Smith is now in Houston, which leaves second-year tackle Jalen Travis as the next in line to start.

When called upon last season, Travis held his own, allowing one sack and 12 pressures over 175 pass-blocking snaps. He also graded out well as a run-blocker by PFF’s metrics.

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Taylor, meanwhile, was a second-round pick by Jacksonville in the 2019 NFL draft. After spending his first four seasons with the Jaguars, he played the last three seasons in Kansas City. Among all offensive tackles, he ranked 13th in PFF’s pass-blocking efficiency metric.

So why is Taylor still unsigned?

“Penalties,” Barnwell wrote. “Taylor is a good pass-blocking tackle, as he ranked 15th, 17th and seventh in pass block win rate across his three seasons in Kansas City. He hadn’t missed a single game to injury during his pro career before an elbow injury cost Taylor the final five games of the 2025 season. While he turns 29 in November and isn’t really an option to play on the left side of the line, he has the sort of résumé that should earn him a meaningful third contract.”

Travis has played just 316 career offensive snaps. There is still uncertainty when it comes to what to expect from him when in a full-time role. Adding Taylor would also improve the depth at tackle, with Travis then coming off the bench.

However, we’ve seen the Colts go down a similar path recently. A year ago, we saw the Colts part ways with veteran free agents Ryan Kelly and Will Fries to allow second-year players Tanor Bortolini and Matt Goncalves to start at center and right guard. The team could be prepared to do the same with Travis, even with there being relatively little experience.