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Chris Ballard Talks Keenan Allen Arrest, Roster Cuts - Ballard says Allen will play in Week 1 despite DUI arrest, emphasizing his good character. - Rookie WR Alec Pierce is hopeful to be ready for Week 1, but status remains uncertain. - Ballard confirms Anthony Richardson will remain a Colt, indicating no plans to trade him. Chris Ballard Talks Keenan Allen Arrest, Roster Cuts INDIANAPOLIS – Tuesday brought one of Chris Ballard’s annual press conferences. The Colts have made their roster cuts, so it was time for Ballard to chat about that and the arrest of Keenan Allen. Here are some takeaways from Ballard’s press conference: On Keenan Allen’s DUI/OWI arrest: “I’m not going to comment on what happened. But what am I going to tell you is, ‘Good people make mistakes. Ok. He’s a tremendous human being. Give him some grace. And he will work through the process of the legal system.” Bowen’s Thoughts: Ballard added that Keenan Allen will play Week 1, as the veteran wide receiver was practicing on Tuesday morning. Ballard was adamant about the character of Allen outweighing what took place in the early hours of Sunday morning. Ballard said he would keep things internal when asked if there was any punishment for Allen. So, expect Allen to be playing against the Ravens on September 13th, and given how the NFL handles these sort of legal cases, it seems likely the Colts will have the 34-year-old wideout available to them all season long. On Alec Pierce for Week 1: “That’s the hope.” Bowen’s Thoughts: Pierce was practicing again on Tuesday as he tries to ramp things up to be ready for September 13th. Ballard would not commit to any definites for Pierce and Week 1, other than saying he’s “hopeful.” The return of Pierce to practice was a couple of weeks longer than Ballard originally thought to begin training camp. You are looking at around a handful of more practices for Pierce to try and get ready for the season opener. On Anthony Richardson: “He will be a Colt.” Bowen’s Thoughts: As we await specific clarity on how the Colts will handle QB2 and QB3 on their depth chart, there’s no plan to trade Anthony Richardson Sr. anytime soon. The league-wide interest clearly hasn’t been much at all for Richardson, and he still offers some importance to the Colts given Daniel Jones’ injury history and the shakiness of Riley Leonard this preseason. Tuesday, November 10th is the trade deadline for the NFL. My guess is Richardson offers too much insurance for the 2026 Colts compared to any very light trade offer they might receive. On Jalyahn Tuimoloau: “He’s making good progression. I thought practices were really good. They get gassed in (preseason) games…” Bowen’s Thoughts: Ballard was much higher on Tuimoloau than the preseason production would indicate. Ballard was a fan of the playmaking Tuimoloau offered on special teams. But 3 tackles against opposing backups in nearly 100 defensive snaps isn’t what you want to see out of your 2nd round pick. It’s going to be interesting how the Colts handle their reserve defensive end snaps for Micheal Clemons, Caden Curry, George Gumbs Jr. and Tuimoloau. On A.J. Haulcy (ankle): “That’ll be a better question for next week.” Bowen’s Thoughts: The Colts actually had a super healthy training camp. All of their skill guys—Alec Pierce (ankle), Tyler Warren (groin), Josh Downs (groin)—were back practicing on Tuesday. It appears Pierce and maybe Haulcy are the only expected starters somewhat in question for Week 1. Haulcy has now missed more than a week with an ankle injury, giving Hunter Wohler time to make another impression. The staff is very high on these two young safeties, no matter who lines up next to Cam Bynum. On CJ Allen: “He’s got a high standard….You are starting to see some progress but he’s playing catch up.” Bowen’s Thoughts: Right now, it wouldn’t surprise me if CJ Allen was the odd man out of the linebacker rotation for Week 1. I definitely think he is behind likely starters Akeem Davis-Gaither and Jaylon Carlies. Ballard pointed to the missed camp practice time for Allen as a reason why the rookie hasn’t played to his normal standard. The linebacker position though is expecting ample moving parts this year so a Week 1 lineup is no guarantee for Week 12. On cutting Colby Wooden: “I don’t know if that was as much about Colby as much it was about (Jerry) Tillery and Tim Smith. They played better.” Bowen’s Thoughts: The 2026 surprise cut was Colby Wooden along the defensive line (Wooden was claimed by the Saints on Monday). Wooden was a 16-game starter for Green Bay last year and was the player the team received in return for trading away Zaire Franklin. As much as some fans don’t want to hear it, I think Tillery is in line for a key rotational role up front. Ballard is very pleased with his defensive line makeup. Is that more because of depth in quantity or the high-end quality of it?