The Indianapolis Colts were extremely active for about a week during the offseason, but they’ve been quiet for the majority of the time since the new league year began in the middle of March.
While some subtle moves were made in free agency, along with the departures of a number of veterans, the roster could still use some infusion of talent in several areas.
The talk of the offseason has been about the likely addition of a rookie quarterback in the draft, so grading their offseason up to this point would be an incomplete adventure.
But it’s still not a bad idea to gauge the grades of teams entering the draft. That’s what Bleacher Report did in grading every team’s offseason moves leading into the league’s biggest weekend of the offseason, giving the Colts a C+.
The Indianapolis Colts’ offseason will hinge on their ability to find their quarterback of the future with the fourth overall pick, and they may be eyeing Kentucky’s Will Levis.
“Will Levis and the Colts, there is a little bit of buzz leaguewide about that pairing at No. 4 overall,” ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler said on SportsCenter earlier this month.
In the meantime, the Colts named former Eagles offensive coordinator Shane Steichen as their head coach after he helped develop Jalen Hurts into a Pro Bowl quarterback and viable MVP candidate. The hope is that he can do the same with Levis or another top prospect.
Indy also picked up a solid bridge option in Gardner Minshew, who has a career passer rating of 93.1. While Minshew might not be a clear upgrade over 2022 starter Matt Ryan, he shouldn’t be any worse.
Ryan tossed only 14 touchdowns against 13 interceptions and had a lowly 83.9 QB rating.
The Colts picked up players like Samson Ebukam, Taven Bryan and Isaiah McKenzie, but their biggest additions thus far are those of Minshew and kicker Matt Gay, who might be a bit overpaid at $22.5 million for four years.
However, Indianapolis didn’t lose a ton aside from cornerback Stephon Gilmore and wideout Parris Campbell, who finally had some solid production (623 yards, 3 TDs) after three injury-hampered campaigns.
The Colts roster just doesn’t seem remarkably different than it was a year ago, but Indy could be a surprise AFC South contender if running back Jonathan Taylor can stay healthy and Minshew and/or a rookie-to-be-named can upgrade the quarterback position.
That’s a better grade than I would have assumed considering the lack of high-end moves the Colts have made this offseason.
The offseason for the Colts really does hinge on the draft as it does every year with Chris Ballard at the helm. Whether the selection is Will Levis, Anthony Richardson or C.J. Stroud, it’s likely we’re looking at an incoming rookie quarterback to work as the face of the franchise.
Even so, the Colts still need to add some depth to the cornerback, wide receiver and offensive line spots through free agency and/or the draft.
We’ll see how this grade changes after the draft takes place in less than a week as that will have a major impact on the perception of the future.
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