Colts' Jalen Travis Under Spotlight Entering Year 2

The Indianapolis Colts made a concerted effort to get younger and more athletic this offseason, and one area that took shape was the offensive line when they let longtime right tackle Braden Smith leave in free agency in favor of second-year player Jalen Travis.

Smith was the Colts' second-longest-tenured offensive starter behind left guard Quenton Nelson, and though he never made a Pro Bowl or earned league-wide recognition, he was widely considered one of the most unsung tackles in the NFL, effective in both the run and pass games.

However, at 30 years old and with injuries preventing him from playing a full season since 2019, the Colts replaced Smith with the much younger Travis, who started the final four games of the season in Smith's spot.

Recently, Bradley Locker of Pro Football Focus identified 10 second-year NFL players under the most pressure to perform in 2026, and Travis made the list.

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"Unlike the other 2025 draftees on this list, Travis wasn’t as heralded in terms of round. However, he’s likely to play an instrumental role for the Colts in 2026," Locker wrote.

"As a fourth-round pick, Travis appeared on 316 snaps for Indianapolis as a rookie, primarily working at right tackle. He looked steady with a 72.2 overall PFF grade, permitting only one sack across 165 opportunities and collecting a 72.6 PFF run-blocking grade. Especially encouraging was Travis’ 88th-percentile run-blocking mark on gap concepts.

"With longtime stalwart Braden Smith heading to rival Houston this spring, Travis is now in pole position to be the Colts’ new starting right tackle," Locker continued. "Given Indianapolis’ penchant for developing quality offensive linemen, the Iowa State product could step up to the plate swiftly in his second year. No matter what, Travis should boast a significantly larger role for a team that’s in the microscope following a late-season collapse — and which figures to compete in a tough division yet again."

Travis ranked fourth among rookie offensive tackles last year with an overall PFF grade of 72.2. His 72.6 run-blocking grade was second, and his 71.2 pass-protection grade was third. Travis allowed just one sack, and his pass-block efficiency rating of 96.1% was tied for third.

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Nelson recently commented on his new linemate, pointing out some reasons for optimism that stand out to him.

"Yeah, he's really just been a dog since he's gotten here," Nelson said. "Works his tail off. So detail-oriented and wants to be great, and a great human being as well. But I mean, just like his intangibles are crazy there. There's stuff with him you can't coach, like he's physically gifted and the way he can move at that size and his strength and power can really be imposing on defensive linemen. He's got long arms, his punch, pass.

"I'm really impressed with him, and I thought he stepped up big for us last year, and that's what he's going to do this year. He's gonna stay on track and be even better this year. "