Indianapolis Colts’ best chance to help Daniel Jones just got a major boost

Wide receiver Stefon Diggs might have some football fans who aren’t quite sure of him after he’s had several off-field accusations, but Indianapolis Colts general manager Chris Ballard said this offseason that he was a guy who liked to give second chances. Ballard could prove that by signing Diggs.

Ballard made his comment when asked by the media about choosing running back Seth McGowan in the seventh round of the 2026 NFL Draft. McGowan had been booted by the University of Oklahoma early in his college career for a crime that involved a break-in. Since then, McGowan has stayed free of trouble.

In Diggs’ case, he had been accused by a former personal chef of assault and battery charges, but was found innocent in criminal court. On Friday, the NFL ruled there was insufficient evidence to suspend the receiver from the charges. In other words, a team can sign Diggs and have him available for the full season.

Indianapolis Colts now have the option of signing Stefon Diggs with no pending repercussions

That team could be the Colts, who need to find more weapons for quarterback Daniel Jones, if Ballard is true to his word. Indy has the available cash to sign the 32-year-old free agent, especially as his asking price could be suppressed not because of his off-field issues, but because of his age and injury history.

In 2025, Diggs was good enough to help the New England Patriots reach the Super Bowl, and he produced 85 catches for 1,013 yards and four touchdowns. He played in all 17 games after missing nine the previous season with the Houston Texans due to a torn ACL.

The Colts might be hoping that veteran Ashton Dulin suddenly becomes a high-end producer, too, but he never has been, so the hope is based on nothing. Meanwhile, the team traded the expensive Michael Pittman Jr. this offseason and replaced him with two late-round draft choices.

That means that the re-signed Alec Pierce and veteran Josh Downs will be the key wide receivers, and second-year pro tight end Tyler Warren will need to be even better in 2026. That could be a very good trio, but Pittman will be missed unless Indianapolis finds a player truly capable of picking up some of his production.

That could be Stefon Diggs. As much as some fans might be leery of his personal legal issues, the team has to ask itself whether they would be better with Diggs on the field or not. The likely answer is that the Indianapolis Colts would be.