The Indianapolis Colts are expected to have a changing of the guard at the quarterback position in 2023, but how does the rest of the roster core stack up entering the new campaign?
ESPN went through ranking each team’s roster core, which was defined as “the five most important players to a team — the guys each roster is built around.”
The Colts came in at No. 30 overall, ahead of only the Atlanta Falcons (No. 31) and Arizona Cardinals (No. 32).
Roster core: QB Anthony Richardson, WR Michael Pittman Jr., G Quenton Nelson, DT DeForest Buckner, LB Shaquille Leonard
Average core age: 26.0
This is a tough group to figure out. Injuries forced Leonard out for most of last season, and Nelson wasn’t close to the same player he has been in the past, with a 91% pass block win rate at guard that ranked 41st out of 63 qualifiers. But of all the wild cards, we’re burying the lede in regard to Richardson. The Colts’ season — and future — will rest on his shoulders more than anyone else’s. Note that running back Jonathan Taylor also could have made this list.
The Colts have one of the youngest rosters in the NFL and a lot of their success will depend on the development of Richardson during his rookie season.
While Nelson had a down year by his standards, he was still a solid guard in an overall sense for the Colts in 2022. The impact Leonard will have for 2023 is a massive question mark considering the unknown timeline of his recovery.
The Colts have a promising core of talent if they can get things trending in the right direction but as is the case with most teams, their success in 2023 will come down the production from the quarterback position.
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