Pete Prisco of CBS Sports put together his list of the top 100 players ahead of the 2024 NFL season, and not included were any members of the Indianapolis Colts.
Beyond the top 100 list, Prisco would also put together a list of honorable mentions, in which four Colts’ players did appear: Jonathan Taylor, Quenton Nelson, Michael Pittman, and DeForest Buckner.
Taylor has dealt with injuries the last two seasons, appearing in only 21 combined games, but now fully healthy this offseason, GM Chris Ballard expects a “really big year” from him.
In 10 games last season, Taylor averaged 4.4 yards per rush, and we saw him look like the 2021 version of himself in Week 18 against Houston, when Taylor rushed for 188 yards.
The combination of Taylor and Anthony Richardson, who played only two snaps together last season, should be an added stressor for defenses in Shane Steichen’s RPO-heavy offense.
“To have Anthony and JT back there,” said offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter, “JT has an extensive history with a lot of success, leading the league in rushing. Now we’ve got Anthony, where a defense, gosh, there may be that mesh on a run play and it’s JT going left and it’s Anthony going right, and as a defense, how do you defend that?
“You have two really explosive players that maybe have a chance to end up with the ball on a run play, how do you defend all that? It is exciting.”
At left guard, Nelson put together a bounce-back season in 2023, allowing only one sack and 21 pressures while ranking sixth among all guards in PFF’s pass-blocking efficiency metric.
Nelson is also one of the leaders of this team and has played a key role in the development of left tackle Bernhard Raimann.
Buckner continues to be a disruptive presence against both the run and the pass for the Colts and signed a two-year extension earlier this offseason. Last season, Buckner had the fourth-best pass-rush grade from PFF among interior defenders while also ranking seventh in pass-rush win rate and 11th in run-stop rate.
Buckner is a core member of what should be one of the most disruptive defensive fronts in football this season.
Pittman has been the model of consistency in the Colts’ offense. Regardless of what the quarterback situation is or what else is happening on that side of the football, he continues to produce, totaling at least 88 receptions in each of the last three seasons and eclipsing 1,000 yards in two of the last three years.
“He shows up every week,” Shane Steichen said of Pittman. “He is a consistent football player that is going to give it everything he’s got and when the ball is thrown to him, he’s going to go make plays. That’s what he does every week and he’s consistent doing it.
“When we need a big play, he’s the guy that makes it for us usually in the pass game. He’s been doing it here for a while and just very fortunate to have him on this football team.”
There’s a ton of potential on this Colts team this season. And while, ultimately, potential doesn’t mean much if it’s not recognized, there are plenty of reasons to be optimistic and bullish about the Colts in 2024.