While nothing is definitive, signs are pointing to the Colts getting one of their top cornerbacks back for 2026.
Colts general manager Chris Ballard and head coach Shane Steichen, during their media availability on Tuesday at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis, provided updates on Charvarius Ward Sr. after the cornerback in January said his multiple concussions and subsequent symptoms would cause him to reevaluate his future in football.
"Mooney is a special kid, a young man who's had some unfortunate circumstances," Ballard said of Ward, who sustained two concussions during the 2025 season and was left with severe headaches and other symptoms causing him to miss a total of 10 games. "He's in a good frame of mind. I'm not in the hypotheticals of what's gonna happen, but his frame of mind is really good right now."
"...I don't want to stay still deciding, but all indications is he's wanting to move forward and play."
Throughout his eight-year NFL career, Ward has been praised as a true No. 1 cornerback with the ability to play sticky man-to-man coverage and make big plays. He's built his career on being confident and determined with a "dog mentality," working his way from an undrafted free agent to an All-Pro and Super Bowl Champion. When the Colts signed Ward as a free agent before the 2025 season, the plan was for him to take on those No. 1 cornerback responsibilities and bring his winning mentality to the cornerback room.
When the Colts received Sauce Gardner in a trade with the New York Jets in Week 10, expectations and hopes were high for the Colts' secondary, now home to two of the best outside corners in the league. But Gardner and Ward only appeared in one full game together -- Week 12 against the Kansas City Chiefs -- before both cornerbacks sustained respective injuries that ended their seasons (Gardner missed four of the last five games with a calf injury).
In early January, after the conclusion of the 2025 season, Ward was upfront about the need to reevaluate all his options heading into the offseason. He was placed in concussion protocol three times in 2025 and sustained a severe concussion in a freak collision in pregame warmups in Week 12; Ward described the injury and its lingering symptoms as "traumatic."
"I got a lot of life to live out of football, I gotta think about my family, kids too," the 29-year-old said in January. "We'll see. Got some decisions to make, for sure."
Ward also said he hoped to return in 2026 and was only more motivated to come back as the best version of himself, but that he did have to keep perspective on the severity of brain injuries and what his long-term health may look like.
"I had conversations with him a couple days ago, and he's in a good headspace, feeling good," Steichen said. "So we're excited for what the future holds."
