Though continuity often plays a major role year over year, it may have a bigger impact in 2020 than ever before given the unique season dealing with COVID-19. The Indianapolis Colts are among the teams with the most continuity entering the campaign.
With a majority of starters returning and only a handful of newcomers up for starting roles, the Colts should expect a relatively consistent lineup from 2019. There will be changes, like at defensive tackle and quarterback, but the continuity will still be there.
In fact, the Colts are returning the fourth-most snaps for the 2020 season, per Over The Cap. They are returning 88.7% of their offensive snaps and 77.9% of their defensive snaps.
The numbers on defense might a bit misleading given that Jacoby Brissett is still on the roster but won’t be contributing much to the offense in 2020 now that Philip Rivers is in town. But the continuity throughout the unit can’t be ignored.
With so many unexpected changes set to hit the league with COVID-19, having a solidified continuity on both sides of the ball will be as vital as ever.
At some point, the Colts are going to have to deal with the impact of the virus. How it hits them remains to be seen, but they are going to be impacted one way or another.
The depth accumulated on both sides of the ball and the continuity they have throughout the roster is going to help guide them through these uncharted waters.