After a great start in 2025, the Indianapolis Colts became extremely aggressive. The front office traded away two first-round picks for Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner. Unfortunately, it didn’t really help the organization right away. The team lost its final seven games to finish 8-9. The Colts gave away a lot of capital, including their 2026 first-round pick.
With that, the first selection for the franchise came in Round 2. The Colts took University of Georgia linebacker C.J. Allen. He spent time on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list before Indianapolis activated him in late July.
Colts Might Be Starting To Worry About Allen
The hope for the Colts was that the rookie would be fully healthy and ready to go for the regular season. While he has been dressed for games, a concerning trend has started to rear its ugly head.
-No snaps for CJ Allen. 2nd time in 4 games he has dressed, but not played a single snap on defense/special teams.
-At LB, Austin Ajiake got 17 snaps.
-WR: Treadwell: 56, Downs: 51, Dulin: 23, Burks: 15, Westbrook-Ikhine: 11
Not all rookie players find ways to adjust right away to professional football. However, when the Colts trade away a first-round selection, the second-round pick becomes even more important. There was a hole in the middle of the defense, and Allen was suppose to patch it up. That has not been the case.
There will continue to be discussions surrounding Allen. If he is unable to get on the field and produce, it essentially looks like the Colts had a really rough start to the 2026 NFL Draft.
Gardner is certainly worth the draft capital Indianapolis gave up to acquire him, but the deal put even more pressure on Chris Ballard to get Round 2 right. As of now, the Colts deserve some criticism for the pick.
Anthony Hill was taken just seven spots after by the Tennessee Titans. He has started all four weeks and has 42 total tackles. Eventually, that could look like an epic mistake.
Colts Must Get Allen Up To Speed Soon
One thing to note regarding Allen is that he was slowly ramped up during training camp. A rookie already has plenty to adjust to, and calf and hamstring issues only made that transition more difficult. Nonetheless, it is time to figure out just how good he can be.
The scariest part of his current playing time trend is that the coaching staff may not trust him. While his raw talent might be there, his preparation could have fallen behind.
Everyone can’t be an All Pro in their first year; however, things need to turn around quickly for Allen. Overall, this problem for the Colts is continuing to progress, and it needs to be turned around sooner rather than later.
Colts Rookie C.J. Allen Already Raising Serious Concerns