The Indianapolis Colts are just a few weeks away from the start of training camp where they hope to begin their journey toward competing for a playoff spot during the 2022 season.
Pro Football Focus recently listed the strengths and weaknesses of every team in the NFL. For the Colts, the two were relatively common answers. We also recently ranked the positions from strongest to weakest.
Starting with the strength, the strongest position group comes in the backfield. Led By Jonathan Taylor, it’s hard to argue that a different position should take the reins here.
This is what Pro Football Focus said about the backfield being the strongest group on the roster:
Jonathan Taylor is a beast, but behind him on the depth chart is also Nyheim Hines, Phillip Lindsay and even Ty’Son Williams. Taylor obviously led the league in rushing yards last season, but he also showed an ability to maximize the yards that his blocking creates. He gained 1,272 yards after contact, broke 66 tackles and had 23 breakaway runs of 15 or more yards, four more than any other back. He racked up more than 200 yards more than any other back on those breakaway runs.
While Taylor will be looking forward to competing for the rushing title again this year, we should see more usage when it comes to Nyheim Hines, who is a weapon both out of the backfield and in the slot as a receiver. Having depth like Phillip Lindsay and/or Ty’Son Williams isn’t too bad either.
Shifting the focus to the weaker part of the roster, the answer is obvious. It’s been the same throughout the offseason.
Wide receiver.
It’s tough to find a unit where the Colts are in bad shape, which explains why they are quite a popular team in preseason predictions. You could focus on cornerback, but in limited snaps last season Stephon Gilmore showed he still has gas in the tank, particularly in man coverage. They have Michael Pittman Jr. at wide receiver, but that’s not enough until we see what rookie Alec Pierce can bring to the table, particularly with Matt Ryan on the back nine of his career.
The wide receiver position is more of an unknown right now. The potential is extremely high, but it comes with a lot of question marks. Can Parris Campbell stay healthy? What kind of impact will Alec Pierce have? Can Ashton Dulin, Dezmon Patmon and Mike Strachan step into bigger roles?
We likely won’t know the answer until the season is already underway, but this position group will be out to prove a lot in 2022.
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