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A major theme throughout the offseason has been the perception of offensive weapons for the Indianapolis Colts being a unit that lacks a true superstar. ESPN’s Bill Barnwell is the latest analyst to join the group.
In his ranking of each team’s top-six offensive weapons, the Colts came in at No. 28 in the NFL.
“28. Indianapolis Colts
2020 rank: 26 | 2019 rank: 12New Colts quarterback Carson Wentz will leave behind those Eagles in 2021, but while he’s blessed with an impressive offensive line in Indianapolis, this is another team counting on its young players to develop. The most prominent veteran at the skill-position spots here is T.Y. Hilton, who didn’t bounce back in 2020 after injuries impacted his 2019 season. 2019 second-round pick Parris Campbell has basically lost his first two seasons to injuries, with a knee issue costing him the final 14 games of 2020. The hope is that Michael Pittman Jr. breaks through as a No. 1 receiver, but even if he does, will there be much around the 2020 second-rounder? Tight end Jack Doyle has been around seemingly since the Peyton Manning era, but is Mo Alie-Cox going to have a Logan Thomas-style breakout in 2021?
Seven picks after the Colts drafted Pittman, they used the 41st selection on another key contributor in running back Jonathan Taylor. The Wisconsin product broke out over the final six games of 2020, finishing second among all backs with 741 rushing yards over that time frame. While 253 of those yards came in a Week 17 romp over a Jags team that might as well have been on the beach already, the one-two punch of Taylor and Nyheim Hines works. The story at receiver, at least for now, is more about hope than anything else.”
The Colts have a budding star in Taylor, who is primed for a big season in 2021 after torching the league over the last six games of the regular season during his rookie campaign.
They are also much more bullish on their wide receiver corps than the rest of the league, which plays into the fact that they didn’t make any additions to the room this offseason outside of bringing back T.Y. Hilton on a one-year deal.
There is plenty of hope for the pass-catchers in the offense, but they are entering the season with plenty to prove to both themselves and the league.
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