2024 NFL Offseason Primer: Indianapolis Colts

Indianapolis Colts

Projected Cap Space: $67.8 million

Draft Picks: 7

• 1st (No. 15)
• 2nd (No. 46)
• 3rd (No. 82)
• 4th (No. 118)
• 5th (No. 150)
• 6th (No. 193)
• 7th (No. 232)

Notable Free Agents: 

• WR Michael Pittman Jr.
• CB Kenny Moore
• DT Grover Stewart
• QB Gardner Minshew
• RB Zack Moss
• S Julian Blackmon
• DE Tyquan Lewis
• DT Taven Bryan
• OL Danny Pinter
• S Ronnie Harrison
• DE Jacob Martin
• WR Isaiah McKenzie
• P Rigoberto Sanchez

Top Three Needs

1 – Cornerback

The two best things to say about the Colts’ cornerbacks group in 2024 was that Moore was as good as ever, whether he was in the slot or outside, and a lot of young players got the chance for reps. At the very least, that should help shore up the depth for the unit in the coming seasons. 

Outside of that, this room needs a ton of work. Moore is a pending free agent and is turning 29 in August. The Colts weren’t willing to give him an extension last year but perhaps there’s a different tenor in talks this time around. Moore played well and alleviated some concerns about aging, while the Colts look like a potential team on the rise. 

Former second-round CB Julius Brents got about half a season of action and showed some things to potentially build on going forward. The Colts could use another veteran here to shore up the other outside spot when Moore kicks inside in nickel packages. Seventh-round CB Jaylon Jones and former UDFA CB Darrell Baker got a lot of reps and the Colts ideally don’t want to be in a position where they have to lean too much on them again in 2024. 

2 – Defensive End

It took some time but the Colts finally started to see some return on their consistent draft investment at edge rusher. Indianapolis used its first two picks in 2021 on DE Kwity Paye and DL Dayo Odeyingbo. Both had slow starts in their first two seasons before hitting the eight-sack mark apiece in 2023. Free agent addition Samson Ebukam led the team with 9.5 sacks and former All-Pro DT DeForest Buckner added eight for a Colts pass rush that was overall pretty solid. 

But what the group is really missing is that clear-cut, double-digit sack producer from the edge to capitalize on all the havoc Buckner wreaks from the interior. With all the cap space the Colts have, I could see GM Chris Ballard targeting this area for a veteran addition like Vikings DE Danielle Hunter to try and push the defensive line into becoming an overwhelming strength. 

3 – Tight End

Indianapolis could use a starting safety as well if Blackmon walks, and the offensive line situation is not ironclad between the age and injury history of starting C Ryan Kelly and RT Braden Smith. But tight end is a sneaky big hole, especially with how important it is for OC Shane Steichen‘s offense. 

The Colts took a committee approach to the room last year with four players seeing significant snaps. None of them were former third-round TE Jelani Woods who is a massive target at 6-7 and 253 pounds. He’s a bit of a wildcard going into 2024 after missing all of last year due to injury.

The team could look to completely revamp the room, shedding the higher salary players like veteran Mo Alie-Cox and Kylen Granson and building around Woods, Andrew Ogletree, Will Mallory and another significant addition. If Georgia TE Brock Bowers slipped out of the top 10, could Ballard make a move up? 

One Big Question

Can Anthony Richardson stay healthy?

Last year wasn’t exactly a worst-case scenario for the Colts and Richardson after drafting him with the No. 4 pick — whatever happened in Carolina was the worst-case scenario. Richardson showed a ton of flashes to get fans and the team excited about his potential before going down for the season with a throwing shoulder injury after just four games. He was banged up in some of his other games as well, leaving one with a concussion that caused him to miss another game. 

For a player who hasn’t played a whole lot of football in his career to this point, the loss of 3/4 of a season of reps is significant. Richardson had a reputation as a developmental prospect coming out of college, and while that wasn’t exactly fair, he’s absolutely an inexperienced quarterback. Richardson started just one season in college. He needed to play as a rookie to push through the growing pains and gain experience. 

Combined with some of his history at Florida in college, and now there are legitimate injury concerns about Richardson going forward that he’ll have to answer, particularly given his gifts as a runner that could subject him to more hits. People in the league are fond of truisms like “you can’t make the team from the tub” or “availability is the best availability.” Staying healthy is a huge part of being a professional, and often a huge reason young players wash out is because they can’t stay healthy enough to focus on skills development. 

In just four games, Richardson showcased the freakish arm talent and elite rushing skills that drew comparisons to former MVP Cam Newton during the pre-draft process. His ceiling physically is as high as any quarterback in the league, and he showed a much better command of the advanced aspects of the game than a lot of people expected. If he stays healthy, the Colts should be right on the heels of the Texans and the other teams in the AFC. 

If.