The Indianapolis Colts officially regroup for the 2023 season down at Grand Park for training camp at the end of July.
With the season looming on the horizon and the team looking to bounce back from a disappointing 2022 showing, eyes will be on the Colts and the different talent, young and old, on the roster.
Here is one player from each position to keep an eye on during training camp and the preseason leading up to the start of the regular season:
1
Quarterback: Anthony Richardson
Probably the lowest hanging fruit on this list, all eyes will be on Florida quarterback, Anthony Richardson, whom the Colts selected No. 4 overall in the 2023 Draft.
Richardson possesses all of the physical tools to be a franchise player in the NFL, but he is not guaranteed the starting job right out of the gate.
Veteran, Gardner Minshew, who played under Shane Steichen the last two seasons in Philadelphia, will be in competition all of camp and the preseason and has started 24 games over four years.
The biggest knock on Richardson is simply inexperience. The young signal-caller has only 13 starts under his belt from college and may not be fully ready to be at the helm of an NFL offense.
Regardless of how it shakes out, all eyes will be on Richardson as he works through his first season as a pro.
2
Running Back: Zack Moss
When the Colts agreed to send Nyheim Hines to the Buffalo Bills last season, they acquired a sixth-round pick and Zack Moss in the trade.
Moss, a third-round pick in 2020, never really found his footing in the Buffalo backfield and had only touched the ball 17 times in five games before being traded to Indianapolis.
With Jonathan Taylor banged up down the stretch last season, Moss was presented an opportunity and made the most of it.
In eight games, Moss ran for 365 yards and his best year in yards per carry (YPC) with 4.8. Moss added multiple games of 70+ yards on the ground and ended the 2022 season with 114 yards on the ground and a rushing touchdown.
Heading into 2023, Jonathan Taylor looks to be 100 percent healthy entering training camp and that leads many to ask, “What does Zack Moss’ role look like in 2023?
With Taylor coming off his first significant injury, the Colts might consider giving Moss some run to spell Taylor every so often.
If Moss can build off of his strong performance in 2022 with Indy, the Colts could boast a really effective one-two punch at running back in 2023.
3
Wide Receiver: Alec Pierce
Alec Pierce’s rookie season was… interesting.
Week 1 wasn’t exactly kind to the Cincinnati product as he dropped a touchdown pass and was knocked out of the game with a mild concussion which forced him to miss the following week.
Once he was able to get on the field, Pierce displayed his playmaking ability during the next three games, games where he recorded 60, 80 and 81 yards respectively.
Overall, Pierce finished with an above-average statical year for an average rookie receiver by recording 41 receptions, 593 yards and two touchdowns, seventh most by a rookie in Indianapolis Colts history. However, there are still some consistencies in Pierce’s game that he can improve on in Year 2.
A few of the knocks on Pierce’s rookie season were his route running and separation.
Working with receivers coach, Reggie Wayne, should help in both departments as Wayne was one of the more crafty and consistent receivers in NFL history.
Pierce’s inconsistent production can also be attributed to things outside of his control—namely poor quarterback play and poor offensive scheme in 2022.
Despite all of this, Pierce showed he is a downfield threat in the vertical passing game with his combination of elite speed and size and that translates well to Shane Steichen’s offense.
In years past, Steichen’s offense has been consistently a top unit in passes 20+ yards and beyond and that bodes well for Pierce to be the top beneficiary based off of his strengths.
4
Tight End: Jelani Woods
Jelani Woods, a third-round pick in 2022, came into the regular season without a defined role in the offense.
As the season went on, Woods began to emerge as the top threat in the tight end room and a consistent playmaker when targeted.
However, similar to Pierce, due to the poor quarterback play and poor scheme and play-calling, Woods’ role in the offense on a week-to-week basis often left fans and media scratching their heads.
With a new head coach, offensive staff and quarterback, the hope is that Woods will become more a prominent piece in the Colts’ offense moving forward.
If he is used properly, he will be another mismatch nightmare for opposing defenses with his 6-foot-7 frame and all-around freakish intangibles.
5
Offensive Line: Bernhard Raimann
Raimann, the third 2022 rookie on this list, may soon find himself as one of the most indispensable pieces on the team already due to the position that he plays.
The struggle to find Anthony Castonzo’s replacement long-term has been well-documented first by the let-down that was the Eric Fisher signing in 2021 and the absolute negligence to the position last offseason by Chris Ballard.
Insert Raimann, a player still fairly new to the position and somebody who was not expected to start or contribute much in 2022.
However, due to some circumstances with the poor play of the starter at the time, Matt Pryor, Raimann was thrust into the starting lineup in Week 5 against the Denver Broncos.
It wasn’t pretty. Raimann allowed four hurries and committed four penalties.
“Early was rough, as it is for most left tackles,” Colts GM Chris Ballard admitted.
Raimann would go on to start in 11 of the 16 games that he played in, improving as he continued to play. Here’s a snippet from Pro Football Focus about Raimann.
There is no doubt that Raimann struggled early in the season… However, he improved down the stretch, allowing just two QB hits in the season’s final six games. Raimann was the team’s second-best offensive lineman this season, (73.3) as he held down the fort at left tackle. The Colts have to feel optimistic about Raimann and the left tackle spot going into the 2023 offseason…
…with the Colts slumping to disaster down the stretch, Raimann’s improvement flew under the radar. He finished the year with six consecutive above-average PFF pass-blocking game grades and ended the year with above-average marks as both a run-blocker and pass-protector.
While Ballard liked what he saw from Raimann in year one, he also said that there are some things that he would like to see moving forward.
“He’s got to get a little bit bigger, little bit stronger, but we thought he performed at a winning level the last seven, eight weeks of the season,” Ballard said. “I know there was a couple of plays and some mistakes out there, they all do. Look across the league, players make mistakes. They’re not perfect.”
6
Defensive Line: Samson Ebukam
One of the more notable offseason moves, Ebukam was brought to Indianapolis on a three-year, $27 million contract this offseason.
Ebukam is coming off a season where he recorded a career-high five sacks and a 14.9% pass rush win rate which was good for 24th best amongst edge rushers and better than any player on the Colts in 2022.
Ebukam comes into Indianapolis looking to fill the void left by Yannick Ngakoue who the Colts elected to not re-sign in free agency.
While he recorded fewer sacks than Ngakoue (9.5) in 2022, Ebukam was superior in every category, especially run defense.
The Colts have struggled to find a consistent threat on the edge and Ebukam has the chance to be a part of the solution, not more of the same issues.
7
Linebacker: Shaquille Leonard
It’s been an emotional rollercoaster for both linebacker Shaquille Leonard and Indianapolis Colts fanbase during the last year.
In his first four seasons, Leonard was a three-time First-Team All-Pro, one-time second-team All-Pro and three-time Pro Bowl selection for Indianapolis.
Last offseason, Leonard went through what everyone called a minor back injury, but still wasn’t 100 percent ready to go. Leonard underwent his second back surgery in December, ending his 2022 season.
Now, eight months later, we still don’t have a clear update on Leonard nor a timetable on his return.
Owner, Jim Irsay, was noncommital on when Leonard will return while on The Pat McAfee Show on Monday.
Both Irsay and Shane Steichen have not given any additional information regarding Leonard’s status.
When on the field, Leonard is unquestionably a difference-maker. When Leonard does get out there, however, is what bears monitoring.
8
Cornerback: JuJu Brents
Julius (JuJu) Brents was the first defensive player taken by the Indianapolis Colts 44th overall in the 2023 NFL Draft.
An Indiana native, Brents will have every opportunity to seize the number one outside cornerback position from day one and cement himself as a long-term piece in the Indianapolis secondary.
Brents has the ideal size and athleticism for Gus Bradley’s system and will have eyes on him as he enters into his first pro season.
With the loss of Isaiah Rodgers, there should be no shortage of playing time for Brents. It will bear monitoring his progression from training camp through the regular season.
9
Safety: Nick Cross
Truthfully, picking any of the three safeties would be an option here as there are unknown things to watch for all. However, I chose Cross due to him being the player with the most questions at the moment.
After being named the starter to begin the 2022 season, Cross struggled and was quickly relegated to the bench. He failed to see much action on defense after that and was never given another starting opportunity in 2022.
“I think as the season went on, conversations towards the end was more like, ‘I felt it. I know what that feels like now,'” Gus Bradley said this offseason. “Where you’re thinking too much and not playing as fast as maybe I did in college. So, if he can recognize that, own that and say, ‘Now in the next year, let’s get back to playing fast.’ That’s the conversations we had. So yes, it would be great for him to take the next step for us.”
Cross is only 21 years old and still possesses a ton of raw potential. The hope is that sitting behind veteran, Rodney McLeod last season was exactly what Cross needed heading into year two where he will be given the opportunity for more playing time on defense.
We will see what strides Cross has made in Year 2 and if he can build off of the hard lessons he learned last year.
