The reality stung inside the Indianapolis Colts locker room Wednesday
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The reality stung inside the Indianapolis Colts locker room Wednesday.
Right guard Matt Goncalves and defensive tackle Adetomiwa Adebawore walked in and saw the locker stalls next to theirs cleaned out and stripped of the nameplates for left guard Quenton Nelson and defensive tackle DeForest Buckner, two team captains traded to NFC West teams Tuesday.
The fallout came Wednesday.
Coach Shane Steichen fielded questions about his job status, players were asked whether they believed the trades signaled Indy had given up on this season and everybody wondered what might happen next.
“I'm day by day. I mean, I'm here right now,” receiver Josh Downs said when asked if he had requested a trade. “Like I said, I'm open to whatever, whatever comes my way comes my way and you go from there.”
The bigger question is where do the reeling Colts (2-5), losers of three straight, go from here?
Over the previous 10 days, the Colts blew a 13-point halftime lead against previously winless Tennessee and left the field to a chorus of boos. The next day, team co-owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon fired general manager Chris Ballard, making assistant general manager Ed Dodds the replacement.
Quarterback Anthony Richardson, who Ballard took with the No. 4 overall draft pick in 2023, was charged last week with misdemeanor possession of marijuana.
Then came an eighth consecutive road loss at Minnesota, which prompted more questions about whether Daniel Jones would remain the starting quarterback. And then the trades of two Pro Bowlers who were pillars in the locker room just hours apart.
“I didn't sugarcoat it,” Steichen said when asked about how he addressed the team. “Anytime you lose those two guys, they're tough to replace. But we've got to understand we're in a business, and in this business, there are tough decisions that have to be made. Everyone has a job to do. We all signed up for it, and we get paid to do a job, and we've got to improve and get better every single day.”
How they'll get better is hard to fathom given where they currently stand.
Rookie Jalen Farmer, a fourth-round pick, is expected to replace Nelson, a three-time All-Pro. Adebawore, the fourth-year veteran having a career year, will be plugged into Buckner's old spot.
“I’m sorry we couldn’t get the job done but just know that I poured my heart and soul into the organization and the community the best way I knew how to,” Buckner said in a social media post. “God bless!”
Steichen declined to say whether either Nelson or Buckner — or both — asked to be dealt. He said he would keep those conversations private. But Steichen also said flatly that running back Jonathan Taylor, their top remaining asset, has not requested a trade.
Taylor is scheduled to meet with reporters Thursday though his wife, Ayanna, has expressed her thoughts on social media.
“Will we make it to game day?” she said in a video. "Or was last week the last time my husband will be putting on a Colts jersey?”
Steichen's job, meanwhile, also could be in jeopardy because Irsay-Gordon brought back the Steichen-Ballard pairing in January with the expectation they would end a five-year playoff drought or there would be consequences.
Ballard didn't even make it through the season, and now Steichen must win with what remains on the roster.
“Those are two guys that embodied everything we stand for as an organization,” All-Pro cornerback Sauce Gardner said before addressing what message the deals sent to the rest of the Colts. “We want to win. We want to put our best product out there. We want to dominate each and every game, so that's our message.”
Plenty of questions continue to linger, though.
Jones has struggled since signing a two-year contract extension worth $88 million in March, and Richardson has made two trade requests over the past year.
Top receiver Alec Pierce went on injured reserve during Week 3, and it's unclear when — or if — he'll return this season. Six-time Pro Bowl receiver Keenan Allen still could be suspended for the drunken driving charges he faces and an already thin secondary got even thinner this week when cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt went on injured reserve.
In the meantime, Irsay-Gordon is clearly looking toward the future as she collects draft picks to rebuild the team despite not having a first-round pick in April. That selection was traded to the New York Jets at last year's trade deadline for Gardner.
Yet players and coaches say they're not ready to throw in the towel as they prepare to visit defending AFC South champion and current division leader Jacksonville (4-2). The Colts have lost 11 straight road games against the Jaguars.
“I'm worried about getting ready for Jacksonville,” Steichen said when asked about his job security. “If I focus on something else — I'm not — I'm doing a disservice to our football team.”
And aside from reflecting on the impact their now ex-teammates made, the remaining Colts kept the focus on the task at hand.
“It's sad because a piece of our group is missing,” Goncalves said. “We're going to miss them, but our focus has to, you know, remain on Jacksonville. We've got to move past it, move forward, prepare the same, get ready to go dominate.”
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