Colts Sold Nelson, Buckner, Allen and Downs: What Indy Has Now
Indianapolis turned four veterans into six draft picks before the deadline, kept Jonathan Taylor and left Reggie Wayne joking about a comeback.
The Indianapolis Colts went into the NFL trade deadline as sellers and came out of it looking like a completely different team. It was a Colts trade deadline sell-off in every sense. In the span of two weeks, Indianapolis sent four veteran starters out of town: guard Quenton Nelson, defensive tackle DeForest Buckner, and receivers Keenan Allen and Josh Downs. The one player contenders wanted most, running back Jonathan Taylor, is still in Indianapolis.
Indy is 2-7, has lost five straight and is third in the AFC South. The franchise fired general manager Chris Ballard on Oct. 19, a day after a 26-20 home loss to a Tennessee team that hadn’t won a game. Assistant GM Ed Dodds has run the personnel department since then, and owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon has said the search for a permanent GM is already underway. Whoever gets that job will inherit a roster that looks a lot lighter, and a draft board with a lot more picks on it.
Every Colts trade deadline deal, in one place
The sell-off started on Oct. 27 with back-to-back trades to NFC West contenders and ended on deadline day, Nov. 10, with two receivers gone within a few hours.
| Player | Traded to | Colts received | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| G Quenton Nelson | Seahawks | 2027 3rd-round pick, 2028 5th-round pick | Oct. 27 |
| DT DeForest Buckner | 49ers | 2027 4th-round pick | Oct. 27 |
| WR Keenan Allen | 49ers | 2027 6th-round pick | Nov. 10 |
| WR Josh Downs (+ 2027 7th) | Chiefs | 2027 4th-round pick, 2027 5th-round pick | Nov. 10 |
Add it up and Indianapolis picked up six draft picks for four players and gave back one seventh-rounder. None of those picks is a first-rounder. The Colts still don’t own their 2027 first, which went to the Jets, along with their 2026 first and receiver AD Mitchell, in last year’s trade for cornerback Sauce Gardner.
Why the Colts sold now instead of waiting for comp picks
On paper, a third-rounder for an eight-time Pro Bowl guard looks light. But every name on that list had one thing in common: an expiring contract. Nelson, Buckner, Allen and Downs were all headed for free agency in March.
NFL insider Tom Pelissero laid out the math on deadline day. By trading contract-year players now, the Colts lock in 2027 picks instead of waiting on 2028 compensatory picks they would probably lose anyway, because they’re expected to have a ton of cap room to spend this spring. Signing big free agents cancels out comp picks.
Buckner is the clearest example. As an 11-year veteran, the best compensatory pick the Colts could have gotten for him was a 2028 fifth-rounder, according to ESPN. The 49ers gave them a 2027 fourth instead, a full year earlier and a round higher.
It’s not a haul that changes a franchise overnight. It’s a bet that a new GM will want as many swings in the 2027 draft as possible, plus a clean salary-cap sheet.
Jonathan Taylor stays, and the price was the reason
Taylor was the biggest name on every deadline list. He didn’t move.
The Colts won’t trade star RB Jonathan Taylor by today’s deadline, sources tell @ringer @netflixsports.
Multiple teams offered a second-round pick and more for Taylor. But the Colts wanted a blockbuster offer to even consider it. Instead, Taylor stays in Indy. pic.twitter.com/FH1NtHa8k6
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) November 10, 2026
Multiple teams offered a second-round pick and more for the running back, Pelissero reported, but Indianapolis wanted a blockbuster to even consider it. NFL insider Jordan Schultz reported the organization’s thinking another way: if the Colts ever trade Taylor, it will be in the offseason, when more buyers are in the market.
That logic holds up. Running backs rarely bring back a first-round pick at the deadline, and Taylor isn’t a rental. Keeping him gives the next GM a real decision to make in the spring instead of a fire-sale price in November.
A wide receiver room that has to start over
The two deadline-day trades gutted the receiver group. Allen had 40 catches for 351 yards and a touchdown in eight games, and his 40 receptions led the Colts at the time of the deal, per CBS Sports. Downs is now catching passes from Patrick Mahomes in Kansas City.
What’s left on the active roster, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter: Deion Burks, Laquon Treadwell, Ashton Dulin, Nick Westbrook-Ikhine and Anthony Gould. The Colts promoted Westbrook-Ikhine from the practice squad to the 53-man roster right after the Allen trade.
Colts receivers coach Reggie Wayne, one of the best receivers in franchise history, saw the room empty out and took it with a laugh.
Former Colts WR and current Colts WR coach Reggie Wayne commented after Indianapolis traded away Keenan Allen and Josh Downs today. pic.twitter.com/MT4ZQF9O3C
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 11, 2026
“Might be time to dust off the old Reeboks,” Wayne posted, asking whether the player-coach thing had ever been done before. It was a joke. It also landed because the depth chart really is that thin.
For quarterback Daniel Jones, the next eight games will be about finding anyone who can win one-on-one. For fantasy managers, there isn’t a Colts receiver worth trusting in a weekly lineup until somebody earns targets on the field.
What Colts fans should watch over the final eight games
The schedule doesn’t give Indianapolis much time to adjust. Here’s what matters from here:
- Snaps for young players. Fourth-round rookie Jalen Farmer was in line for a look at left guard after Nelson’s trade, according to the team. More of those auditions are coming on both lines.
- Taylor’s workload. With the passing game short on proven targets, defenses will load up against the run. How Steichen handles his best player matters for Taylor’s value in March.
- The draft order. Losing helps less than usual. The Jets own Indy’s 2027 first-round pick, so a high spot in the draft order mostly benefits New York. What losing does improve is the spot of Indy’s own second-round pick and every pick after it.
- Shane Steichen’s future. The head coach has a losing record in Indianapolis, and since Ballard’s firing he and the football staff report directly to ownership. A new GM usually wants his own coach.
Dolphins at Colts on Sunday, then a short week in Houston
The rebuilt roster gets its first look on Sunday, Nov. 15, when the 1-7 Miami Dolphins visit Lucas Oil Stadium at 1 p.m. ET on CBS. Miami placed starting quarterback Malik Willis on injured reserve with a core muscle injury, and backup Kyle McCord is set to make his NFL debut, per Pelissero.
Four days later, the Colts travel to face the Houston Texans on Thursday Night Football, Nov. 19 at 8:15 p.m. ET on Prime Video. Two games in five days will show quickly whether this version of the Colts can compete while the front office plays for 2027.