The Indianapolis Colts may be punting on the 2026 season, but their future has some bright spots on the roster.

Colts' Owner/CEO Carlie Irsay-Gordon has kicked off the team's rebuild with a fire sale of the roster's best players, trading away longtime franchise pillars Quenton Nelson and DeForest Buckner on Tuesday.

The Colts are aiming to add any draft capital they can for the next era by shopping their top players, and this exodus began with the trading of the franchise's most pivotal staples.

Indianapolis's immediate outlook looks bleaker than ever before, but there are two players who have been granted a massive opportunity as a result.

If these two Colts can prove their worth, the next regime's year-one outlook may not be as dire as these trades suggest it'll be.

Adetomiwa Adebawore

The biggest winner of the DeForest Buckner trade is Colts defensive tackle Adetomiwa Adebawore.

The fourth-year interior defensive lineman has been an intriguing player since the Colts drafted him in the fourth round (110th overall) of the 2023 NFL Draft.

Adebawore's absurd athletic profile was enough to entice, but his pass-rush potential excited most.

The talented young pass rusher flashed his intriguing skills across his first two seasons in the NFL, but he still had a long way to go in run defense before he could be considered for a bigger role.

Of course, the longtime interior duo of DeForest Buckner and Grover Stewart made it nearly impossible for any defensive tackle to carve out a three-down role in the Colts' defense, but Buckner's departure changes everything.

Not only is the opportunity there, but Adebawore has earned the increased role in question.

Adebawore's first two seasons suggested that he'd likely be a designated pass rusher for the foreseeable future, but a quiet, mini-breakout in his third season single-handedly changed his trajectory.

Below are Adebawore's pass-rush numbers throughout his first three seasons (2023-25) in the NFL:

2023 (rookie): 20.7% playing time, 1.5 sacks, 7.6% pressure rate, 3 defensive stops
2024: 17.9% playing time, 1.0 sacks, 6.7% pressure rate, 4 defensive stops
2025: 46.8% playing time, 4.0 sacks, 10.2% pressure rate, 24 defensive stops

The upward trajectory was apparent, and Adebawore has locked in to fully break out after seven games in the 2026 regular season.

Adebawore struggled to find playing time to start the new year, but has since earned the trust of defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo and the rest of the staff.

After seven weeks, Adebawore is undeniably the Colts' best pass rusher. He is currently tied for second with the most sacks among interior defensive linemen league-wide and leads the team in most major pass-rush statistics.

#Colts DT Adetomiwa Adebawore has the 2nd-most pressures (12) on the team (excl. Buckner) after seven weeks despite only playing 35.9% of snaps.

He leads the defense in sacks (4.0), pressure rate (13.0%), and quick pressures (6), and has the second-most stops (13). pic.twitter.com/cqamb6tThI

— Noah Compton (@nerlens_) October 28, 2026

We've known that Adebawore has some nasty pass-rushing chops, but the biggest development has been his improvement in run defense.

Adebawore has blossomed into a legitimate starting defensive tackle, and it comes at no better time as the Colts have parted ways with their longtime pillar across the defensive line.

However, the Colts' newfound star is on an expiring deal. Adebawore is playing in the final year of his rookie contract, so a big payday is set to come his way.

The Colts are understandably busy shopping their failed era's best assets, but if they want to truly maximize the next regime's early outlook, extending Adebawore should be near the organization's top priorities moving forward.

Jalen Farmer

A similar big opportunity has presented itself for one of the Colts' players still on a rookie contract: first-year guard Jalen Farmer.

Unlike Adebawore's situation, Farmer still has to prove himself as a legitimate NFL player

The Colts drafted Farmer in the fourth round (113th overall) of the 2026 NFL Draft, envisioning that he'll become OL Coach Tony Sparano Jr.'s next installment of successful draft-and-stash projects.

Indianapolis was prepared to treat Farmer's rookie season like a redshirt year as they roll with their proven veteran unit, but Quenton Nelson's departure has changed the trajectory entirely.

Instead, a Hall of Fame-sized hole now sits across the Colts' interior offensive line, and Farmer is set to take over as we approach the midway point of the 2026 regular season.

Although he is an unproven rookie, Tony Sparano Jr. has the utmost faith in Farmer's ability.

As Sparano Jr. famously said following the Colts' combine interview with Farmer, "Let me tell you this much. Draft him, and I'll make it work."

Sparano Jr.’s conviction in Jalen Farmer is so apparent, not only by his own words, but also by the #Colts war room’s reaction when he arrives to celebrate said draft selection.

🎥: @Colts https://t.co/RxH86gKHkC pic.twitter.com/EFmmsUSYYe

— Noah Compton (@nerlens_) May 6, 2026

In just a few short years with the Colts, Sparano Jr. has successfully developed the likes of LT Bernhard Raimann, RG Will Fries, RG Matt Goncalves, and C Tanor Bortolini.

Second-year tackle Jalen Travis has had an up-and-down start to his first season as a full-time starter, but there's still hope that he can become the ideal longtime Braden Smith replacement.

And it's easy to see why Sparano Jr. believes that Jalen Farmer will be his next successful project.

Farmer sports a strong athletic profile, has ample experience at the position (although he's mainly played right guard), and possesses a ton of raw power.

The Colts' rookie guard will be going from special teams duties to filling the void that Quenton Nelson left.

Even though this season is lost, the Colts have granted themselves a promising evaluation period of pieces that could stick with them through this ongoing fire sale and kick off the new era.

Farmer and Adebawore have a 10-game trial period to prove that they deserve to be long-term pieces of the rebuild.