CBS Sports considers three Indianapolis Colts to be among the NFL's most important players for the 2026 season.
More than ever, this season, the Indianapolis Colts will be counting on their stars to perform like stars.
The front office focused on retaining the best parts of the offense this offseason while adding more youth and athleticism on defense. In all, for the Colts to end their five-year playoff drought, their high-priced players have to meet or even exceed expectations.
Recently, CBS.com's Zachary Pereles composed a list of the NFL's 100 most important players for the 2026 season, and three prominent Colts landed on the rankings:
No. 27, QB Daniel Jones
"Jones was outplaying even the highest expectations early in the year before fracturing his leg and then tearing his Achilles tendon a few weeks later. He finished third in the NFL in net yards per attempt and looked as spry as ever, executing Shane Steichen's heavy play-action scheme well. Can he get back to his 2025 form?"
Oct 5, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indianapolis Colts quarterback Daniel Jones (17) celebrates a touchdown with guard Quenton Nelson (56) during the second half at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn ImagesQuarterback is already widely considered the most important position in sports, but the Colts gave a quarterback coming off injuries in both legs a two-year, $88 million deal this offseason. The Colts are wholly reliant on Jones recapturing some of his early-2025 magic to outscore opponents on a weekly basis. His performance up until his season-ending Week 14 injury extended his time in Indianapolis and bought general manager Chris Ballard and head coach Shane Steichen another year.
No. 28, CB Sauce Gardner
"The Colts, looking like real contenders, sent two first-round picks to the Jets for Gardner. Then Daniel Jones and Gardner were both injured in the same game. Gardner's injury was only a calf strain, luckily, but the quickest path for the Colts to get back to contention has him at the top of his game as Jones recovers."
The Colts spent critical assets on Gardner to reach their Super Bowl goals last year, but after playing two full overtime games right away as a Colt, including one in Germany, Gardner was plagued by a calf injury for the remainder of the season. For coordinator Lou Anarumo to execute the defense the way he wants and for the questionable pass rush to stand a chance, Gardner needs to be healthy and lock down his side of the field. Without Gardner and Charvarius Ward Sr. down the stretch in 2025, the Colts' defense completely fell apart.
No. 69, RB Jonathan Taylor
"Taylor led the NFL in rushes (323) and rushing touchdowns (18) and was fueling one of the NFL's very best offenses before Daniel Jones tore his Achilles. He'll be the focal point again, and perhaps even more so early on as Jones finishes off his recovery."
As Pereles points out, the Colts can't make Jones shoulder the load of the offense while coming off an Achilles tear. The Colts like to wait until the second half of games to batter their opponent with Taylor, but they may need to adjust their approach this year to support Jones as much as possible. Taylor is coming off arguably the best season of his career, and the Colts may need him to do something similar in 2026.
