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Here are five bold predictions for the Colts as they enter training camp.
Training camp awaits the Indianapolis Colts, and so do many new possibilities. With a revamped coaching staff and several new pieces from the draft and free agency, the Colts are ready to put it together.
Entering new seasons always brings more hope regardless of how a team may have finished the previous season. The Colts are a prime example of this considering their new additions at head coach and quarterback.
Here are five bold predictions entering Colts training camp:
Taking a look at five Colts players with the most to lose at training camp.
The Indianapolis Colts have much to focus on this season, including where improvements could be made. The team needed more from the core in 2022 and did not get it, leading to a shocking 4-12-1 record.
While many parts of the franchise are new, including the head coach and quarterback roles, several veterans have been vital staples but could see their tenure close during this season or shortly after.
We took a look at the players with the most to gain at training camp. Now, here are the five Colts players with the most to lose:
Colts QB Anthony Richardson is learning quickly about the NFL’s small margin for error.
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If the Indianapolis Colts have a small margin for error, the margin for rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson is even smaller.
The franchise selected Richardson with the No. 4 overall pick in this year’s draft, hoping he would be the answer they desperately sought.
Unequivocally, Richardson understands the expectations.
“First red zone day, I realized how small the windows were and how fast the defense can react to certain things,” said Richardson during OTAs. “I definitely have realized that the margin for error is definitely small. It’s just a matter of mastering my craft and being ahead of the defense whenever the time comes.”
Teammate Kenny Moore II has observed Richardson going the extra mile, constantly studying notes and prepping for meetings. Richardson explained that doing the bare minimum was unacceptable when asked about it. More importantly, he genuinely desires to learn and has expressed that learning helps him do his job better.
Richardson plans to continue learning by connecting with fellow QB Gardener Minshew II and the wide receivers to establish chemistry before training camp later this month. And when he doesn’t know something, Richardson said, he will remember he’s a rookie and hasn’t seen everything.
“I haven’t even played my first game yet,” he said. “It’s just a matter of remembering that I’m a rookie and making sure I can be the best rookie. That’s really it.”
As for when Richardson believes he will be taking over as the starting quarterback, he’s not putting a timetable on it.
“Honestly, I’m not sure. I guess it’s whenever Coach (Shane) Steichen feels like I’m ready to be out there – he’s confident I know the stuff, confident I can lead the team and confident I can win NFL games,” Richardson said. “It’s just a matter of him feeling like I’m ready or not and me trying to make strides every day.”
These are the Colts slated to be free agents in 2024.
The Indianapolis Colts are preparing for the start of training camp at the end of the month, and there will be several players competing in the final year of their current contracts.
There are some big names currently on the roster going into contract years. Some of them will get extensions before the season starts while others may have to prove a bit more before they get theirs.
This group is highlighted by key contributors including running back Jonathan Taylor, wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. and defensive tackle Grover Stewart.
In total, the Colts currently have 36 players slated to hit free agency. Some of that will change because we’re currently dealing with the 90-man roster and several of them won’t make the final roster cuts. Regardless, 22 of them are considered unrestricted free agents (UFA), four of them are considered restricted free agents (RFA) and 10 are considered exclusive rights free agents (ERFA).
Here’s a look at the Colts’ free agents during the 2024 season, according to Over The Cap:
These Colts will need to step up with Isaiah Rodgers expected to be suspended.
The Indianapolis Colts are betting that a young group of players to compete for the starting outside cornerback spots, and that battle, unfortunately, got thinner due to Isaiah Rodgers Sr. being expected to receive a season-long suspension.
The news was first reported Wednesday by ESPN that Rodgers Sr., along with other NFL players, are expected to receive a suspension due to violations of the league’s gambling policy.
Because of the expected suspension, Kenny Moore II is the only corner on the roster that has played more than 438 defensive snaps.
Gus Bradley is going to need his young group of players to step up and take advantage of the opportunity in front of them.
Here are six players who will be looking to fill Rodgers Sr. void in the defense:
How Isaiah Rodgers Sr.’s suspension impacts the Colts.
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Indianapolis Colts cornerback Isaiah Rodgers Sr. is expected to receive a season-long suspension from the league for violating the NFL’s policy on gambling.
The news was handed down Wednesday in response to an investigation that raised concerns that Rodgers was part of numerous bets on NFL games, reportedly including some that involved the team.
The expected unavailability of Rodgers casts serious doubt on the strength of the Colts’ cornerback unit. Despite returning veteran Kenny Moore II, the group is fragile regarding experience.
Several players are limited in starting experience, instead having niche skillsets related to special teams. Not to mention, the remaining unit is exceptionally young including this year’s draft class haul of Julius Brents, Jaylon Jones, and Darius Rush.
If the team chooses not to sign a veteran cornerback to replace Rodgers, fifth-round pick Darius Rush could get the nod to start in his place. Rush has elite athleticism with long arms that could help his assimilation into the role. However, asking Rush and several rookies to start in the secondary will be very challenging for the Colts and defensive coordinator Gus Bradley.
What could help these young players is a quick, explosive pass rush that can disrupt games and stop passing attacks. The team’s 11th-ranked defense, which produced 44 sacks and a pressure rate of 22% in 2022, will need to step up again to help mitigate the secondary youth. Additionally, this could be a prime opportunity for Kenny Moore to shine.
Before the beginning of last season, he wanted a new contract that matched his belief that not only was he the best slot corner in the NFL, but one of the best in the league, period. This is his chance to prove that as he enters his second year in Bradley’s system. Elite play on the field and accompanying mentorship could help lessen the weight of Rodgers’s absence.
The most important thing for fans to remember is that this will continue to be fluid. The coaching staff will continue to tweak the lineup based on production, matchups, and specific packages. Patience is needed and warranted.
Doug Farrar continues his positional lists of the NFL’s best players with the 11 best slot defenders heading into the 2023 NFL season.
In the 2022 NFL season, defenses played nickel (five defensive backs) on 12,630 opponent passing attempts. Defenses played dime (six defensive backs) on 2,715 opponent dropbacks. With just 3,206 opponent dropbacks against four defensive backs last season, base defense is no longer base defense — nickel is the new base, and has been for some time.
Moreover, the influx of three-safety looks in the NFL has increased, as has the specific “big nickel” looks with three safeties and two cornerbacks.
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The point of this preamble? That slot defenders are more important than they’ve ever been. Whether it’s in a more traditional nickel or dime look with just one slot defender, or defenses aligning two slot defenders to the strong side of the 3×1 formation, slot defenders aren’t just pre-emptive starters anymore — they’re integral parts of modern defenses, and good luck having a great defense without at least one.
Slot defenders have their own skill sets. It’s not like it was 20 years ago, when the smallest, slowest defensive back on a roster was relegated to the slot. Now, those guys need to have the coverage skills of cornerbacks, the run-stopping abilities of strong safeties, and the blitz instincts of linebackers.
It’s a fascinating gig.
As Greg Cosell of NFL Films and ESPN’s NFL Matchup said in this week’s edition of the “Xs and Os” podcast/video, the requirements for top-tier slot defenders make it a unique position.
The Xs and Os with Greg Cosell: Building the perfect secondary
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“Slot defenders are an interesting breed. They can come in all shapes and sizes. They can be smaller, like Mike Hilton, who I think is one of the best slot defenders in the league. They can be bigger; it depends on what you want. But think of it this way — I know the numbers might be going down a bit, but teams line up in 11 personnel [one running back, one tight end, three receivers] a majority of the time. And teams are playing out of 11 personnel on first down — on second-and-3. What we consider normal down-and-distance situations where the run game is part of the offense. It’s not jst a third-down situation.
“Your slot defender is not just a pass defender. Your slot defender has to be able to defend the run, because there are a lot of teams that run toward the slot defender, because they know he’s not as good a run defender as you’d see running to the other side, where you might have bigger bodies. He also has to be part of pressure schemes. How often do we see slot defenders in today’s NFL as blitzers?
“So, not only do you have to play man coverage against receivers who have a two-way go, you also have to play underneath zone coverage, which is different than playing underneath zone coverage if you’re an outside cornerback. There are different rules, because zones all have their own rules.”
As has been the case with other defensive backs on this year’s list, the transfer of power from season to season is inconsistent, at best. Just two slot defenders from last year’s list — Derwin James and Kyle Dugger — made it in the 2023 group. Sometimes, that was about positional changes; other times, the performances from last year’s top slot defenders were simply eclipsed by the new guys.
No matter how you slice it, it’s tough to be a great slot defender in today’s NFL, and here are out 11 best heading into the 2023 season.
The NFL’s 11 best cornerbacks
The NFL’s 11 best safeties
(All advanced metrics courtesy of Pro Football Focus and Sports Info Solutions unless otherwise indicated).
Here are four things the Colts must prove to skeptics in 2023.
The Indianapolis Colts entered a new era this offseason after the hire of Shane Steichen as the new head coach and the selection of Anthony Richardson to be their franchise quarterback of the future.
Because of the organization hitting the reset button, there isn’t much pressure on the team to win this season. But that doesn’t mean that there are some questions that people have that need to be answered in 2023.
Let’s take a look at what the Colts need to prove in the upcoming season:
Taking a crack at projecting the Colts’ starting defense in 2023 after minicamp.
With the offseason workout program concluded, the Indianapolis Colts have just over a month until they return for training camp at the Grand Park Sports Complex in Westfield.
Making projections in June can be difficult considering the limited information we have at this point, but we have a general idea of what the starting defense will look like.
Using the nickel package as the base defense, here’s a projection of the Colts’ starting defensive unit following minicamp.
ESPN’s Bill Barnwell wasn’t too excited about the moves the Colts made this offseason.
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After a disappointing 4-12-1 season, the expectations were high for the Indianapolis Colts to nail their offseason moves, starting with the installation of a new coaching staff, building through the draft, and adding free agents.
While there are plenty of reasons for optimism about the direction of the team following the offseason, ESPN recently released a ranking of the teams with best and worst offseasons, and they were less than impressed with the Colts.
General manager Chris Ballard’s team landed at No. 24 on ESPN staff writer Bill Barnwell’s list. The list is based on what the team did during the offseason to increase its chances of winning a Super Bowl, in the short term and long term, given the roster and resources it had to work with.
Barnwell then breaks down the offseason into “what went right,” “what went wrong,” and “what is left to do.”
The team’s most significant move that went well was drafting quarterback Anthony Richardson and not having to move some serious capital to pull it off. Barnwell credits the team for investing in Richardson after a series of moves that didn’t pan out post-Andrew Luck’s departure. He also credited the team for signing Gardener Minshew as insurance if Richardson struggles.
However, Barnwell did not hold back about what he felt were serious missteps or concerns. His biggest problems on the offensive side were whether Richardson had enough help to succeed and if stars like Michael Pittman, Jr. and Jonathan Taylor would return to form. Additionally, he was less than thrilled with the play of Bernhard Raimann and felt it was a misstep by the team not to add more depth to the offensive line.
I’m not sure Indy did enough to address the other premium positions on its roster. Does Richardson have enough help? Its offensive infrastructure looks more promising if you treat last season like a bad dream, but if you had to watch the tape, you remember what things looked like. Michael Pittman Jr. went from playing like a breakout star to averaging 9.3 yards per reception. A once-feared offensive line looked past its best and made too many mental mistakes. Jonathan Taylor, the reigning top running back in football, looked a step slower amid ankle injuries after a heavy workload in 2021.
The biggest issue is not addressing the offensive line, which comes back virtually untouched from a year ago. The Colts love 2022 third-rounder Bernhard Raimann’s potential as a tackle, but the converted tight end looked overmatched as a rookie and turns 26 in September. I’m not saying they should have given up on Raimann after one year, but the only competition they brought in for him is rookie fourth-rounder Blake Freeland.
On defense, Barnwell listed the lack of production outside of DeForest Bucker as alarming and noted that the team needs more out of players like Kwity Paye. Admittedly, he understood trading away cornerback Stephon Gilmore but felt it was a misstep to leave veteran cornerback Kenny Moore II with rookie Julius Brents and others to fill the void. He also is not confident in defensive coordinator Gus Bradley’s abilities to build defenses without superior secondary unit play.
Despite a grim outlook, there is hope the team will finish what’s left: extending running back Jonathan Taylor. Earlier this week, Taylor confirmed that he and the Colts have engaged in discussions, and he is hopeful for the future. Barnwell echoed this sentiment and noted that leaning on Taylor would be in the team’s best interest as Anthony Richardson grows.
It’s impossible today to know whether these offseason moves are enough to move the growth needle, but the team will continue to assess as the season progresses.
