With the NFL draft and free agency behind us, 90-man rosters around the league are pretty well set. So, following the portion of the offseason where general managers do most of their roster molding and tweaking, where do the Colts stand in the latest power rankings?
Looking at this Colts’ roster on paper, the recipe is certainly there for a successful season, especailly when we take into account how they were on the cusp of being in the playoffs in 2023 during Shane Steichen’s first year as head coach, along with not having quarterback Anthony Richardson for much of the season.
In addition to getting Richardson back, along with a hopeful Year 2 leap for the offense under Steichen, the Colts’ offensive line unit, which ranked in the top 10 in pressure rate and yards per carry, returns its starting five. GM Chris Ballard also added a needed playmaking presence at receiver in Adonai Mitchell, who joins Michael Pittman, Josh Downs, and running back Jonathan Taylor.
On Defense, the Colts invested heavily into the defensive front, building what should be the most disruptive unit during Ballard’s tenure as GM. At linebacker, the Colts are returning EJ Speed and Zaire Franklin. They re-signed Julian Blackmon and Kenny Moore in the secondary, and Dallis Flowers will be back from injury. The young cornerbacks and safeties that the Colts relied heavily on in 2023 now have an additional year of experience under their belts, hopefully resulting in improved play.
Like I said, the pieces to the playoff puzzle are there. However, like every other team, the Colts have their unknowns as well. Most notably, around the secondary, where several starting spots are up for grabs, and relatively speaking, Richardson is still an inexperienced quarterback, playing in only four career games–so more growing pains could still be on the horizon.
As we’ve seen numerous examples of when it comes to offseason power rankings, how a team appears on paper isn’t always the best indicator of what we are going to see on the field. But taking into account how the 2023 season ended for each team, along with the additions and subtractions made throughout this offseason, a number of NFL analysts put together their rankings following the draft. Here is how they view the Colts: