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[Indianapolis Colts]

Colts 2025 Rookie Report: Hunter Wohler

Indianapolis, IN — The Indianapolis Colts used their final pick of the 2025 NFL Draft on safety Hunter Wohler, a versatile defensive back out of Wisconsin.

Despite waiting until the final round to bring him on board, using their last draft selection on Wohler shows legitimate interest rather than blindly throwing their final dart, given they weren’t willing to risk him hitting the open market as an undrafted free agent.

This is the eighth and final installment of an article series that’s covered each Colts rookie from the 2025-26 season.

Expectations — Wohler’s draft card considered him a linebacker, unofficially revealing Indy’s plans for him. The Colts were to primarily use Wohler as a box safety — a hybrid safety/linebacker role. At 6’2”, 213 lbs, it certainly makes sense.

Of course, late-day 3 draft selections hardly warrant any expectations given the typical draft-and-stash nature of such picks, though specialists (especially placekickers and punters) can find themselves worthy of gameday expectations as rookies.

Rookie Season — Special teams is naturally where Wohler was slated to contribute, though training camp suggested a bigger role (on defense) was on the horizon. During camp, Wohler was getting regular run at safety (primarily in the box, but plenty of reps back deep as well) and proved to be one of the most physical players on that side of the ball.

His noisy training camp culminated in a joint practice against the Baltimore Ravens, where he intercepted the two-time MVP Lamar Jackson twice. Unfortunately, Wohler’s hot start was soon extinguished as a foot (Lisfranc) injury during a preseason game versus the Green Bay Packers, effectively ending his rookie season before it ever began.

Future Outlook — Hunter Wohler was never meant to be his successor, but if Nick Cross leaves in free agency, he is slated to start at strong safety overnight. The NFL Draft and free agency will more than likely add competition to the hypothetical void in question, but as it stands, Wohler is the direct backup who is ready to prove himself all over again.

“I feel like I put myself in a decent spot for next year, but it’s not what about you did yesterday or in camp, you know, I haven’t proven anything on the field yet,” Wohler said via Amanda Foster of the Colts site.

“So it’s come OTAs, come camp, I’ll have to reprove myself all over again and put myself in a spot to hopefully be on the field next year…I think the minute you stop playing with a chip is the minute you kind of fall behind. So I’ve always played with a chip, and I think this season it’ll just be not necessarily more of a chip, but with all the downtime and not playing, I think you realize things about yourself and where you’re at and all that. So there’ll be a little extra juice coming in this year, I’m sure.”

Regardless of whether or not he’s being penciled in as the Colts’ next starting safety, Hunter Wohler is determined to prove that his rookie season training camp was not a fluke, but rather a sign of what’s to come.

Source: https://www.stampedeblue.com/indian...121083/colts-2025-rookie-report-hunter-wohler

 

[Indianapolis Colts]

Report: Giants also request to interview Colts passing game coordinator Alex Tanney for OC vacancy

LANDOVER, MD - DECEMBER 22: Alex Tanney #3 of the New York Giants looks on before the game against the Washington Redskins at FedExField on December 22, 2019 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) | Getty Images

According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the New York Giants have also requested to interview Indianapolis Colts passing game coordinator Alex Tanney for their offensive coordinator vacancy:

Giants have requested to interview Colts pass-game coordinator Alex Tanney for their offensive coordinator spot, per source.

Tanney was a Giants QB from 2018-20. pic.twitter.com/3Q8f317UkG

— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) January 29, 2026

This comes after a recent report that the Giants have also requested to interview Colts offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter for the same opening.

Clearly, new Giants head coach, John Harbaugh, or someone within New York’s top leadership is a big fan of Colts head coach Shane Steichen’s offensive system and scheming, and now specifically, his blossoming coaching tree proteges.

Although, it still has a ways to go to become Sean McVay’s highly sought out coaching tree.

Regarding Tanney, the 38-year-old former NFL quarterback, who previously played for the Giants from 2018-20, has served as the Colts passing game coordinator since 2024, having previously been the Philadelphia Eagles quarterbacks coach (2023) among his other prior pro offensive coaching roles with Nick Sirianni’s squad.

He was also on the Colts practice squad in 2015 during his well-travelled NFL playing career.

It’s hard to say what exactly Tanney brings to the table, but he appears to be an up-and-coming, young offensive mind, who helped coach a Top 10 NFL offense with the Colts last season—and that was with starting quarterback Daniel Jones, who was in the midst of a career year, missing the last four games of the regular season.

If Cooter were to land the Giants’ offensive coordinator job instead (or with the Eagles for that matter), Tanney would be a key internal candidate to replace him for the Colts’ same role. However, the Giants job would present an upgrade because with the Colts, Steichen still handles the offensive play-calling, not his offensive coordinator.

Source: https://www.stampedeblue.com/indian...g-game-coordinator-alex-tanney-for-oc-vacancy

 

[Zedster]

Lot of interesting stuff here. The Senior Bowl coverage has me pretty intrigued, especially with Caleb Banks. That guy sounds like a monster - 6'5", 335 lbs with lean muscle and 35" arms? That's just unfair for interior linemen to deal with. The punt catch story at the end is hilarious too. Always love when prospects show some personality like that.

Kyle Louis from Pitt is another name I'm keeping an eye on. That LB/SS hybrid skillset is exactly what modern defenses need. Coverage ability combined with the instincts to shoot gaps in the run game - that's valuable.

On the coaching front, not surprised to see other teams sniffing around Steichen's staff. A top 10 offense with Daniel Jones missing the last four games is legitimately impressive. Cooter and Tanney both getting OC interest makes sense. Kinda hope Tanney sticks around though - if Cooter leaves, having continuity with someone who knows the system would be helpful.

The Alec Pierce piece is a nice reminder of how much he's grown. I'll admit I was skeptical he'd ever be more than a deep threat specialist, but 1,003 yards and a much more diverse route tree? That's real development. Hope they can get a deal done.

And man, tough break for Hunter Wohler with that Lisfranc injury. Those two picks against Lamar in joint practices had everyone hyped. Sounds like he's got the right mentality heading into next year though.

 

[Indianapolis Colts]

Colts’ Jim Bob Cooter reportedly also interviewing with Giants for open OC role

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - SEPTEMBER 14: Offensive Coordinator Jim Bob Cooter of the Indianapolis Colts looks on during the NFL 2025 game between Denver Broncos and Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium on September 14, 2025 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) | Getty Images

According to ESPN’s Peter Schrager, Indianapolis Colts offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter is also interviewing for the New York Giants open offensive coordinator role, under their new head coach John Harbaugh:

The Giants are going to meet with Jim
Bob Cooter to discuss their vacant OC job. Cooter is the current Colts OC and has interviewed with the Philadelphia Eagles for their OC job, too. @ESPNNFL pic.twitter.com/QjQg0JVtys

— Peter Schrager (@PSchrags) January 29, 2026

As this coaching cycle wraps up, the 41-year-old Cooter has been one of the hot names still floating around for potential offensive coordinator gigs—having also interviewed twice with the Philadelphia Eagles recently.

While he has the same job title with the Colts, Cooter would actually be able to call plays with either the Eagles or Giants (or elsewhere), whereas if he remains in Indianapolis, head coach Shane Steichen would still handle offensive play-calling duties. In that regard, being an offensive coordinator at another NFL stop, could serve as a bit of a promotion for Cooter coaching wise going forward.

Having arrived along with Steichen, Cooter has been the Colts offensive coordinator since 2023. With his offensive coaching assistance, the Colts finished 8th in most average points per game last year (27.4 avg. ppg).

If he is ultimately hired by New York, one of the big opportunities and challenges for Cooter would be keeping promising 2025 Giants’ first round pick and franchise quarterback hopeful Jaxson Dart healthy and productive, who definitely flashed as a rookie this past season during his 12 starts, but needs to learn to play a bit more carefully out there.

Source: https://www.stampedeblue.com/indian...lso-interviewing-with-giants-for-open-oc-role

 

[Indianapolis Colts]

As a Colts fan, what is the best news that you could hear during the off-season?

It seems as though our coordinators are going to stay in place, meaning that the only dog we have in a fight until new free agents are available, is the ability to re-sign our own guys before they hit the market. This could be rather tough in some cases, as many agents will make sure that their clients make it to free-agency to ensure that they get multiple offers to choose from and possibly play teams against each other. In that category we have a few guys, led by Pierce and D. Jones. There are others of importance, but Cross, Paye, and Smith would be secondary, while Ebukam and Pratt might not move the needle as much.

For this wave, the best news I could hear is that both Jones and Pierce had agreed to deals. Heck, they could both pull in similar money in the 25 – 35 million range. After that, I do not think we offer Cross and Smith as much as they want. We might still get them, but it won’t be without them testing the market. I actually hope I hear the words “No progress”, when it comes to Paye.

If the Pierce and Jones signings (or your other favorite in house free agent) are not the best news that you could hear, perhaps you are looking to sign a horse or two from another team? Maybe you have your eye on a difference making pass rusher or a linebacker(s) that doesn’t get lost in pass coverage? It is possible that you believe Hendrickson is the biggest piece for this offseason. I wish there were more options that I could get excited about, but I don’t think bringing him in would be the biggest thing we could do by June. I feel the same way about the available linebackers.

We love the draft and that has normally been where we see our biggest moves. Just as when we traded our #1 for Buckner, we will have to accept Sauce as our first pick in the draft. We will get some talent in the draft, but will it be the best news that we could get over the off-season, knowing that someone like Warren is not going to walk through the door? I think that right now, many would be happy if some gaps were filled, unless you believe that someone slips to 47, who can come in make an impact. For reference, ESPN says that Bobby Wagner was the best player to ever be taken with the 47th pick.

If not for these three “good news” events, maybe you believe that the health of a player might be the answer. Would hearing that Jones would be available on day 1 and be listed as QB1 during training camp be the biggest news? How about Moony Ward announcing that he was coming back? Or lasty, maybe you are a “addition by subtraction” sort of fan and would be most happy with a cut or a bit too late firing?

I’m going to go with the signings of Pierce and Jones, with a combined cap hit south of 65 million. I feel like that would set the stage for anything positive still to come.

As always, as a married man, I am often wrong. So let me know what gets you to say “Well alright now!”

Source: https://www.stampedeblue.com/indian...ews-that-you-could-hear-during-the-off-season

 

[Indianapolis Colts]

2025 Colts silver linings: Chris Ballard?

No, this isn’t click bait, and no, this isn’t an article gushing about Chris Ballard. Ballard has been the GM for the Indianapolis Colts for way too long at this point. He has had plenty of downs, but to objectively look at 2025, he had a few ups as well. We are talking about silver linings here, after all, not rainbows.

Ballard gets a ton of credit for his ability to draft. That has been a puzzling take for a while, but when compared to the recently fired Kwesi Adofo-Mensah of the Minnesota Vikings, maybe he isn’t that bad. His 2025 first-round pick, Tyler Warren, sure looks like he got it right. Ballard filled a huge hole on the roster while gaining a stud. He doesn’t always strike gold with his first-round selections, but if 2025 is any indication of what’s to come, Warren will have a very productive career.

Can we talk about free agency? Ballard never dips his toe into free agency. Well, maybe he dips his toe, but that is it. He did a cannonball this year as he beefed up the secondary with Camryn Bynum and Charvarius Ward. The aggressiveness shown to get those men to switch teams was a welcomed out of character sight. Let’s not forget about Daniel Jones. Yes, the jury is still out, but he panned out better than anyone expected. Ballard found him and brought him onto the roster. Credit is due for those moves.

There are plenty of reasons to come down on Chris Ballard. It’s a long offseason, so there will be plenty of time for that. For now, Ballard earned some credit for his 2025 efforts. He made a good first round pick and some key pickups in free agency. Those moves gave fans more hope in 2025 than they had for a while. It may be fleeting, but it still counts as a silver lining.

Source: https://www.stampedeblue.com/indian...80848/2025-colts-silver-linings-chris-ballard