After a down season offensively, the Indianapolis Colts made a few changes to that side of the ball through free agency and the 2020 NFL Draft. From the quarterback position to a pair of rookies joining the fold, the Colts offense will look different than it did even a year ago.
While there are questions as to how quickly the offense can get assimilated given the limited offseason work together, Sheil Kapadia of The Athletic ranked the group eighth in the NFL.
8. Indianapolis Colts
Last year: 19thThey found out Andrew Luck was retiring two weeks before the start of last season and still managed mediocrity. That should count for something. Now the Colts move from Jacoby Brissett to Philip Rivers. The change at quarterback means a more high-risk, high-reward approach. But Rivers gets to play behind an offensive line that returns all five starters and was one of the best pass-protecting groups in the NFL last season. Indianapolis is counting on either second-year player Parris Campbell, Zach Pascal or rookie Michael Pittman Jr. to provide a useful complement to T.Y. Hilton. The Colts used a second-round pick on running back Jonathan Taylor and will pair him with Marlon Mack in the backfield. Play-caller Frank Reich got conservative last year with Brissett but is likely to open things up with Rivers.
There is a lot of optimism surrounding the Colts offense even with the concerns of a limited offseason. With Rivers having a history with Reich and offensive coordinator Nick Sirianni, there is a bit of an accelerated learning curve and transition that might not hit the Colts as hard as other teams.
Should they avoid major injuries, the Colts offense should return to be a strong unit and one that can be reliable during the 2020 season.