By Diamond Dave DavenportWell, Colts fans, I think we officially have our answer.This isn’t a team trying to patch a few holes and sneak back into the playoff race anymore. The Indianapolis Colts are starting over.On Tuesday, Indianapolis traded Quenton Nelson to the Seattle Seahawks for a 2027 third-round pick and a 2028 fifth-round pick. A few hours later, DeForest Buckner was sent back to the San Francisco 49ers for a 2027 fourth-round pick.Three future draft picks added in one afternoon, and two of the most recognizable Colts of the last decade are suddenly gone.That is not a small roster adjustment.That is a message.The Colts are 2-5, Chris Ballard was fired just over a week ago, and Carlie Irsay-Gordon has clearly decided there is no reason to wait until January to begin figuring out what the next version of this franchise is going to look like.When Ballard was fired, she said waiting would only delay the work that needed to begin.Looking at what happened Tuesday, she meant it.And honestly, as much as it hurts to watch guys like Nelson and Buckner leave Indianapolis, I understand it.Quenton Nelson Leaving Feels DifferentThe Nelson trade is probably going to be the one Colts fans feel the most.Big Q has basically been the definition of a Colt since Indianapolis drafted him sixth overall in 2018.Eight seasons.Eight Pro Bowls.Three First-Team All-Pro selections.One hundred thirty-six starts.Even this season, he was still playing at a very high level. Nelson had not allowed a sack in 275 pass-blocking snaps and had allowed only a 2.2 percent pressure rate.This wasn’t a washed-up veteran the Colts were trying to get something for before it was too late.Quenton Nelson can still play.But he was headed toward free agency, Indianapolis is 2-5, and the Colts are short on draft capital.They don’t even own their 2027 first-round pick because it went to the Jets in last year’s Sauce Gardner trade.So when Seattle puts a third-round pick in 2027 and a fifth in 2028 on the table, you have to listen.Does it make the offensive line better tomorrow?Absolutely not.It makes Indianapolis worse right now.But I don’t think Indianapolis is making decisions based on what makes them better next Sunday anymore.They are making decisions based on what gives the next general manager something to work with.Buckner Going Back to San Francisco Almost Feels Like Full CircleThen came DeForest Buckner.This one is almost strange because of how everything came full circle.San Francisco drafted Buckner seventh overall in 2016. Four years later, the 49ers traded him to Indianapolis for the first-round pick that eventually became No. 13 overall.Now, at 32 years old, Buckner is heading right back to San Francisco, and the Colts are getting a 2027 fourth-round pick in return.For the 49ers, I love the move.They’re 6-1 and trying to win a Super Bowl. Buckner knows the organization, gives them another proven interior pass rusher and has still been productive this season with four sacks and eight quarterback hits through seven games.For Indianapolis?I get why fans might look at a fourth-round pick and think, “That’s it?”But Buckner was on an expiring deal. Because of his years of service in the league, the best compensatory pick Indianapolis could have received if he walked in free agency would have been a fifth-rounder.Getting a fourth now instead of possibly getting a fifth later makes some sense.Again, it doesn’t make the 2026 Colts better.That isn’t what this is about anymore.This Is a Rebuild NowAfter these two moves, I don’t know how we call this anything else.A week ago, Indianapolis fired the general manager who had run the franchise for nearly a decade.Now Nelson is gone.Buckner is gone.And the trade deadline isn’t until November 10.The Colts have already added a 2027 third, a 2027 fourth and a 2028 fifth.Indianapolis now owns two third-round picks in 2027, along with its own second, fourth and fifth—but still no first-rounder.That last part is why I would expect them to keep answering the phone.You cannot go into a rebuild without draft picks.And there are still players on this roster contenders are going to want.Josh Downs Could Be the Next Big NameJosh Downs is the name I would watch closely.There has already been reporting that Downs could be another Colt on the move, along with Grover Stewart.Downs is only 25, which makes this one a little different than moving Nelson or Buckner.Personally, I wouldn’t be in a hurry to trade him.If you’re rebuilding, young players are usually the guys you keep.But Downs is also in the final year of his rookie contract.If Indianapolis doesn’t believe it is going to extend him, then you have to at least find out what somebody is willing to pay.There are some interesting fits.Kansas City has been looking around for wide receiver help, and Downs would give Patrick Mahomes an underneath target who can separate quickly.New England would be interesting because Downs played with Drake Maye at North Carolina.San Francisco also makes some sense because its receiver room has been hit hard by injuries.Those are possible football fits rather than confirmed offers sitting on the Colts’ desk, but they make sense.If someone puts a Day 2 pick on the table for Downs?That becomes a very interesting conversation.Grover Stewart Might Be Packing His Bags TooGrover Stewart feels like another player who could realistically be gone before November 10.Stewart is 33, he’s on an expiring contract and he has spent his entire career in Indianapolis.He was actually part of Ballard’s very first Colts draft class in 2017.Indianapolis should receive calls on Stewart, and Green Bay has already been linked to the Colts’ defensive tackles as teams around the league search for help up front.Buffalo is another team that makes football sense because of its need for defensive-line help, although I would classify that more as a potential fit than a confirmed pursuit.If Indianapolis can turn another veteran on an expiring contract into a draft pick, I think they have to consider it.At this point, sentimentality cannot run the rebuild.What About Jonathan Taylor?Now we get to the name everybody is going to ask about.Jonathan Taylor.There have already been teams connected to him.Green Bay, Denver, Minnesota and Seattle have all been mentioned as teams that have considered or could consider pursuing Taylor.The reported asking price has been around a second-round pick and possibly more.But this is where I would stop.There has also been reporting that Colts ownership does not want to trade Taylor, and I think that is the right call unless somebody makes an offer you simply cannot turn down.A rebuild does not mean you have to trade every good football player on the roster.Taylor is 27, he just signed an extension and he can still be one of the pieces the next regime builds around.If Minnesota calls with a monster package?Listen.If Green Bay suddenly throws a premium pick at you?Listen.But I’m not moving Jonathan Taylor just because everybody else is getting traded.There still has to be something left for the next coach and general manager to build with.Keenan Allen Is Another Name That Makes SenseOne name that might not get the attention Taylor or Downs gets is Keenan Allen.Allen was brought in to help this team win now.If Indianapolis has decided “win now” is no longer the plan, a veteran receiver on an expiring deal becomes an obvious trade candidate.Allen has already been mentioned among the Colts veterans who could draw trade interest.A contender dealing with receiver injuries could easily talk itself into giving up a late-round pick for a proven veteran who knows how to get open.Again, one late-round pick doesn’t sound exciting.Start stacking enough of them, though, and suddenly the new GM has ammunition to move around the draft.That matters.This Is Finally Becoming the Next Colts EraWe have talked before about how this was still largely Jim Irsay’s football operation.Chris Ballard was hired under Jim.The core of this roster was built under Ballard.Shane Steichen was hired during that era.Now Carlie Irsay-Gordon is beginning to put her stamp on the franchise.Firing Ballard was the first major move.Trading Quenton Nelson and DeForest Buckner makes the direction even clearer.The old foundation is being taken apart.And that can be uncomfortable.Nelson was supposed to be a Colt forever.Buckner became one of the leaders of this franchise.Grover Stewart has been here almost a decade.These are guys fans know.Guys fans bought jerseys for.Guys who represented some of the better parts of a stretch of Colts football that ultimately never produced the results everyone wanted.But this is what rebuilding actually looks like.It’s easy to say “clean house.”It’s a lot harder when the cleaning starts and some of your favorite players are walking out the door.Don’t Stop HalfwayThat is the biggest thing for me now.If Indianapolis has decided to rebuild, rebuild.Don’t trade Nelson and Buckner and then suddenly get scared to make another move because fans get upset.Take calls on Stewart.Take calls on Downs.Listen to offers on Allen.And yes, even listen if somebody calls about Taylor—but make them blow you away.The Colts are not getting that 2027 first-round pick back from the Jets.That deal is done.So now they need to manufacture draft capital wherever they can while still identifying the younger players worth keeping.Tuesday was painful.But it might also be the first day where the direction of this franchise became completely clear.The Chris Ballard Colts are being dismantled.The next version of this team is starting to take shape, even if we don’t know yet who will be running it.And judging by what Indianapolis did today, I have a feeling Quenton Nelson and DeForest Buckner will not be the last familiar names leaving town before November 10.The Colts have officially opened for business.Now we wait to see who’s next.