When we take a look back at the 2023 season for the Indianapolis Colts, it was a good year for the franchise with several players having their best seasons of their career while having some setting new career-highs.
Finding players who raised their stock was easy but narrowing it down to a few was debated heavily. I went with the ones I believe saw a significant increase. As far as for players who saw their stock drop, that was a little more difficult.
There was a clear one who’s performance dropped off from 2022 but for the last two spots, I went with players that could’ve made more of an impact with their time spent on the field.
Let’s take a look at six Colts’ players who either saw a rise or fall in their stock from the past season:
Stock up: DE Dayo Odeyingbo
It was a breakout season for Dayo Odeyingbo in Year 3. The versatility of Odeyingbo allowed him to be a chess piece for Gus Bradley in his rotational role. He was effective in lining up inside or out on the edge.
With just getting one start, Odeyingbo still set career highs in tackles (38), TFLs (nine), sacks (eight), QB hits (17), pressures (22), QB knockdowns (seven), pass defenses (two), forced fumbles (two), and fumble recoveries (two).
He played 53% of the defensive snaps, an increase from the 46% he got in the 2022 season. You can’t help but think what his stat line would have been if he was in a full-time role.
It is curious how the front office and coaching staff handle Odeyingbo in 2024. He’s proven he deserves a larger role but the issue is that Samson Ebukam and Kwity Paye offer their value to the defense.
Odeyingo is entering the final year of his rookie contract while the team has to decide on Paye’s fifth-year option. Do they extend both of their 2021 draft picks or will they let one eventually walk in free agency? Only time will tell with Chris Ballard’s decision on his edge rushers.
Stock down: S Rodney Thomas II
Perhaps the most disappointing player of the 2023 season for the Colts is Rodney Thomas II. After making an impact as a seventh-round rookie in 2022, he took a step back in his play on the field this past year.
Even though he started in 15 games and played 82% of the defensive snaps, his numbers were down across the board. Thomas II was a liability in coverage as the season went on.
Compared to his rookie season, he allowed a higher completion percentage (63%), yard per completion (19.1), yards per target (12), and rating (110.7). Thomas II also had seven missed tackles.
His play eventually lost the trust of the coaching staff when he was benched for Nick Cross and didn’t regain the role when Julian Blackmon was placed on IR in the final two weeks.
Thomas II has gone from a potential long-time starter for the Indy defense to a backup role to now entering an offseason where he will be fighting for a spot on the 53-man roster in 2024.
Stock up: LB E.J. Speed
The reason why Indianapolis was fine with moving on from Shaquille Leonard outside of his decline in his play was E.J. Speed taking the next step as a player. Speed had the best season of his career.
He set career highs in tackles (102), TFLs (12), QB hits two), pass defenses (four), and forced fumbles (three). Where Speed developed was in pass coverage and is the best linebacker defending the pass on the roster.
He had his best numbers since he started working with the defense in 2021. Here are Speed’s improvements in some pass coverage metrics in comparison from 2023 to 2022:
| 2022 | 2023 | |
| Completion percentage | 81.8% | 61.4% |
| Yards per completion | 9.9 | 7.4 |
| Yards per target | 8.1 | 4.8 |
| Passer rating | 130.7 | 4.8 |
Speed joins a long list of linebackers that Chris Ballard has found as hidden gems.
Stock down: TE Mo Alie-Cox
If there is one player who seems to be on the outs with the new coaching staff is Mo Alie-Cox. He played just 38% of the offensive snaps which was the lowest for him since the 2019 season after playing at least 49% of the offensive snaps in the previous three years.
Alie-Cox just hasn’t emerged as a threat in the passing attack that he was once viewed as a potential playmaker in the early part of his career. Because of the decrease in playing time and others in the tight end room being more reliable as pass catchers, his numbers had a drop-off.
His blocking ability might be the reason why he’s on the roster in 2024 but if he is set to see his time on the field to see another drop, Chris Ballard can create $5.9 million in cap space if he elects to move on from the veteran tight end.
Stock up: S Julian Blackmon
Having the best season in a contract year is ideal for all players and that is what Julian Blackmon did in 2023. Despite missing the final two weeks of the season, he set career highs in tackles (88), TFLs (five), pass defense (eight), interceptions (four), and fumble recoveries (two).
Those weren’t the only stat lines that he made improvements on. His advanced metrics show that he was better in coverage in his fourth season. The following numbers were the lowest that Blackmon has allowed in his career:
Completion percentage (60.9%), yards per completion (11.8), yards per target (7.2), and rating (4.6). He also didn’t allow a touchdown for the first time in a season.
Blackmon was one of the most consistent players in the secondary and is a priority free agent for Chris Ballard to bring back for the 2024 season.
Stock down: K Matt Gay
At the beginning of the season, Matt Gay looked like a homerun signing by Chris Ballard when he set an NFL record with four 50+ yard field goals made in the overtime win over the Baltimore Ravens. But as the season went along, he had some misses that cost the Colts games, which proved vital in a tight playoff race.
His 80.5% field goal percentage was the lowest of his career since his rookie season. Gay missed a 30-39 yard field goal attempt for the first time since 2020. He also had two misses on 40-49 yard attempts, which were the most in that area since his first year in the league.
Gay finished with eight missed field goals, which were also the most since his rookie season. But to be fair, five of those came in 50+ yard attempts. An area where he had a career-high with eight 50+ yard field goals made.
His stock isn’t completely down but with how Gay ended 2023, people will be holding their breath when he lines up to kick at the beginning of the 2024 season.
