With the 2023 season officially over for the Indianapolis Colts, they are officially in offseason mode.
As 2024 begins, Indianapolis will look to add to its roster and strengthen some perceived weaknesses through free agency, trades and the NFL draft.
With that being said, here are some of the top needs for Indianapolis moving forward:
Interior defensive line depth
While it’s not a position that will likely play an exorbitant amount of snaps, the Colts need some depth behind their starters.
When Grover Stewart was forced out of the lineup for six games due to a suspension, the run defense for the Colts really suffered.
To give you an idea of how massive Stewart’s absence was, the Indianapolis defense gave up a full yard more per carry (4.7) and 45 more rushing yards per game (153) without Stewart in the lineup for six games.
The plan this offseason should be to have more of an answer in the event that Stewart, who is a free agent, doesn’t return to the team this offseason for whatever reason.
Simply put, the run defense without Stewart was a liability and it would serve Indianapolis well to address the depth behind No. 90.
Safety
The safety position for the Colts was a mixed bag in 2023. On one hand, Julian Blackmon had his best season as a pro after switching to strong safety in the offseason. On the other hand, the play from the free safety position was erratic to put it nicely.
Rodney Thomas began the year as the starter at the position but struggled mightily. As the season went on, he was eventually benched and replaced by fellow second-year safety, Nick Cross. While Cross had some good moments, he also had some mistakes as well.
It may serve Indianapolis well to consider adding a veteran if neither safety takes the leap into being a quality starter for Indianapolis. It also wouldn’t hurt to add some veteran leadership in an extremely young room as well.
Cornerback
Out of all the positions on this list, cornerback is the hardest one to gauge. Unquestionably, there were both good and bad moments from this group in 2023. However, considering that Indianapolis played most of the year with young and inexperienced players, it shouldn’t be that much of a surprise.
As a whole, both Julius Brents and Jaylon Jones showed some positive things as rookies and should get better as they grow and mature in their NFL careers.
The Colts still have Kenny Moore II, who had a nice bounce-back season and even though he’s a free agent, he could return to Indianapolis. The unit will also be getting Dallis Flowers back, who was playing well before his Achilles injury early in the year.
Adding competition to the room certainly needs to happen and will only serve to make everyone better moving forward.
Offensive playmakers
Currently, Indianapolis has a few players on their roster who would classify as playmakers. Jonathan Taylor finished off the season strong and looks to jolt himself back into the top running back conversation in 2024. Michael Pittman Jr. had a career year and routinely made highlight plays. Josh Downs had a strong rookie season that culminated in him setting the Colts’ rookie record in receptions and Alec Pierce even showed his ability down the field when targeted.
However, Indianapolis still desperately needs more weapons to add to its arsenal for Anthony Richardson and Shane Steichen. There are tons of options, whether through free agency or the draft, that Indianapolis can do so.
If they can add a few more playmakers to this roster, they should feel very good about the supporting cast around a young quarterback and doing everything they can to support him.
Edge rush
When you look at pure numbers, it may not appear on the surface that edge rush is that big of a need. The Colts after all shattered their franchise record in sacks for a single season and had four players with eight or more sacks.
However, looking beyond the pure numbers, it is still very evident that Indianapolis still lacks a true number one edge player.
One knock of general manager Chris Ballard’s tenure has been his failure to find a true alpha pass rusher who strikes fear into the heart of opposing offenses. Ballard has also struggled to fill premium positions with premium talent.
Last year, the Colts took a swing to address the most important position on offense, the quarterback in Anthony Richardson. Might it be prudent to take a swing on the defensive side of the ball for the true number one guy at edge? I believe so.
Backup quarterback
This simply comes down to the fact that Gardner Minshew is scheduled to be a free agent this offseason. Bringing him back on another one-year deal would be a prudent move considering the chemistry he has with Anthony Richardson. It also wouldn’t be a surprise to see them go after a Tyrod Taylor type, who fits closer to Richardson’s mold of being a dual-threat option.
