The Indianapolis Colts have had a clear plan to build a roster that can have sustained success for many years. They way they believe to do that is mostly through the NFL Draft.
Even though the Colts made some big additions to the offense at quarterback and defensive tackle, most of the roster will be returning from the 2019 season.
In ESPN’s continuity rankings, the Colts came in at No. 3 in the NFL.
Offensive snaps returning: 87.9% (4th)
Defensive snaps returning: 77.3% (12th)
Starters returning: 20 (8 offense, 9 defense, 3 special teams)Non-coordinator assistants returning: 12 of 18
Coordinators returning: 3 of 3 (Nick Sirianni, OC; Matt Eberflus, DC; Bubba Ventrone, ST)
Starting QB: Philip Rivers, 1st year with Colts (17th overall)
Head coach: Frank Reich, 3rd year (17-15)What it means: Coach Frank Reich and general manager Chris Ballard have consistently talked about building a roster that sticks together to help with the team’s continuity. Returning 20 starters should pay dividends. The biggest question remains at quarterback because they signed Rivers from the outside. Rivers is an upgrade over Jacoby Brissett, who started in 2019, but he’s yet to do any work with his skill position players. The Colts hope Rivers’ experience — 16 years in the NFL — and having played in Reich’s system since 2013 will help overcome those issues. — Mike Wells
Since 2017, the Colts have been adding foundational pieces to the roster through the draft. It has come to the point now where those players are turning into the core pieces of the team while also being viewed upon as leaders.
There are still plenty of moves to make for the Colts for the future, especially at quarterback, but they have a roster that should be sustainable for years.