Veterans and rookies for the Indianapolis Colts will report for training camp on July 24th, with the first practice taking place on July 25th.
Between now and then I will be previewing the Colts’ 91-man roster with a look back at each player’s 2023 season, along with what’s ahead for 2024.
I’ll be going through the Colts’ roster alphabetically, so up next is quarterback Joe Flacco. To stay up to date with our other previews, be sure to head over to Colts Wire.
2023 Season Review
Initially last season, Flacco went unsigned for the first half of the year. It wasn’t until late November that the Cleveland Browns signed Flacco to the practice squad following a season-ending shoulder injury to Deshaun Watson.
But, as we all know, Flacco would go on to lead the Browns to the playoffs and win the NFL’s Comeback player of the Year award in the process. Flacco would complete 63 percent of his passes, throwing for 1,923 yards in six games with 14 touchdowns to 10 interceptions.
“Shoot, the guy is a competitor,” Steichen said earlier this offseason. “He’s won a ton of football games in this league. He’s got a big arm, and he’s won a Super Bowl. Man, we’re super excited to have him.”
2024 Season Preview
Flacco was one of two outside free agent additions made by GM Chris Ballard this offseason, signing a one-year deal worth $4.5 million.
With Anthony Richardson healthy and a “full-go” for training camp, Flacco’s role on this team is fairly straight forward: he’s the backup. However, with Flacco’s experience there is quite a bit of value he can provide Richardson, who has just 98 career dropbacks.
Whether it be in the film or meeting rooms, on the practice field, or on the sideline on Sundays, having Flacco as an extra set of eyes to share with Richardson what he sees or to bounce ideas off of could be quite helpful for the young quarterback–specifically, Flacco’s ability, because of his experience, to simplify things.
“When questions arise or when you see something you’ve been through before, you can put it in a very simple way,” Flacco said via the Indy Star. “I think that’s one of the biggest things about playing quarterback and being able to survive in this league a long time, is being able to simplify things.”
On top of that, if the Colts do find themselves in a pinch, Flacco has recently shown that he can step in and win games.
This has now become a familiar role for Flacco, who has often found himself in a similar situation since 2018, when Lamar Jackson took over as the Ravens starting quarterback.
“For me, being here, it’s about teaching him how to simplify and play fast and use those tools, as opposed to trying to process, maybe, certain things you don’t really need to worry about, and then you go out there, you’re not even able to use your skill set,” Flacco said. “You can slow yourself down.”
