The 2026 NFL season begins in two weeks and the Indianapolis Colts will need their best roster on the field in Week 1 to not continue the seven-game losing streak from 2025.
Head coach Shane Steichen is in the hot seat as he enters his first year with The Horseshoe and if the team were to expand its losing streak to eight games, it could spell the start of the end of his tenure as HC.
With the roster cut day coming soon, the Colts will have to shave their roster down to 53-players. Indy will, obviously, part ways with players, but an NFL writer believes the team could add a defender who could be beneficial depth to the secondary.
Colts Named Landing Spot for Defender
The Indianapolis Colts defensive backfield is headlined by Charvarius Ward and Sauce Gardner, who will line up against opposing teams’ top receivers. But after waiving Justin Blackmon, who started 11 games last season, the team could strengthen the position.
Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report names the Colts as a landing spot for cornerback Nick McCloud.
“While [McCloud has] never been a high-end defender, he has appeared in 63 games with 20 starts and has also contributed on special teams,” Knox wrote.
“Most teams looking for experienced depth in the secondary and on special teams should at least consider McCloud. However, he might be the most intriguing to a team with schematic familiarity at this point in the offseason. A [Chicago] Bears reunion could make sense, as could a reunion with Colts defensive backs coach Jerome Henderson.”
McCloud, an undrafted free agent from the 2021 class, played for the Bears in 2025, playing 15 games and starting four. The cornerback logged 27 total tackles and two interceptions for the NFC North team. With stops with the San Francisco 49ers, New York Giants and the Cincinnati Bengals, the corner has registered 125 total tackles, 12 pass deflections and an interception in his career.
Needing depth behind Ward and Gardner, who are both coming off injuries from the 2025 season, Nick McCloud could be a rotational player while the Colts play it easy for the starting CB duo.
Shane Steichen on Ward and Gardner
Part of the reason the Colts ended the season on a negative note was the loss of the starting two cornerbacks, who were hindered by injuries.
Charavrius Ward suffered three concussions and was sidelined for the rest of the season after the final one. Sauce Gardner suffered a calf strain that limited him to four games in his first season in Indiana.
Needing them healthy in 2026, the head coach notes how important it is for the team to have them healthy.
“To have two elite corners that can lock down a guy one-on-one on the outside is going to be huge and beneficial for our defense,” Steichen said, via Wish TV. “So, I’m really looking forward to those guys being out there together for the full season.”
If the Colts need the pair to sit out a few reps to prevent another concussion for Ward or to reaggravate Gardner’s calf, Nick McCloud could come in for a few snaps.
Colts Tabbed Logical Landing Spot for 123-Tackle Defensive Back