In addition to ESPN ranking each team’s roster ahead of the 2024 season, they also selected the biggest strength and weakness for each team as well. For the Colts, not surprisingly, ESPN selected the secondary as their biggest weakness.
ESPN would select the interior defensive line as their biggest strength.
This was a unit last season that dealt with injuries and relied heavily on inexperienced players. The end result was inconsistent play and a secondary that ranked in the bottom half of the league in explosive pass plays surrendered and the bottom third in yards per attempt allowed and pass deflections.
So, naturally, coming into the offseason, both cornerback and safety were perceived as rather large needs for the Colts. However, the only outside additions made to the roster came on Day 3 of the draft.
What this tells us is that, internally, the Colts like the group that they have and are expecting that having a healthy group coupled with the experience gained last season will lead to improved play.
“I think all those guys, obviously, we drafted two young guys, but I think with Jaylon Jones, Dallis, and JuJu, they’re long, rangy guys that are physical when they get up and press,” said Shane Steichen during minicamp.
“They got good vision. I love those guys. It’s a good room. A good competition there. It’s going to be a good competition, obviously, in minicamp and OTAs, but going into training camp is going to be big for all those guys.”
Re-signing both Kenny Moore and Julian Blackmon provides some needed stability to both position groups but the question marks are centered around the players that will be lining up next to them.
As I wrote about recently, there may not be another young player on this Colts team who can have as big of an impact as JuJu Brents can by having a breakout season. Competing for the playing time across from him will be Jaylon Jones and Dallis Flowers, but in the early going of offseason programs, it has been Jones who’s been getting those reps.
At safety, a similar battle for playing time is taking place between Nick Cross and Rodney Thomas, both of whom have been splitting starting reps during OTAs and minicamp. Not only for the sake of added competition could the Colts still make an addition at safety, but for depth purposes as well after losing Daniel Scott for the season with an Achilles injury.
Assisting the Colts’ secondary this season should be a highly disruptive defensive front. Slowing the run gives the secondary the advantage, with the offense facing obvious passing situations, while pressure leads to less time in coverage and more mistakes.
However, that’s just a part of the equation. If the Colts’ scoring defense is going to improve in 2024, the play on the back end has to be better.
